


The Icing Problem

by Lumelle



Series: Instructions for Assembly (Some Parts Sold Separately) [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Ultimate Spider-Man (Cartoon), Young Avengers
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), F/M, Holidays, Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-02 02:18:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2796089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumelle/pseuds/Lumelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A whole week of vacation over the holidays for the Avengers sounds almost too good to be true. The younger heroes are heading off to a cabin in the middle of nowhere with some of their friends, while the older ones are enjoying peace and quiet back at the Tower. Now, what could possibly go wrong?</p><p>A snow storm, kidnapped husband, Russian assassin, and a very bad cold later, they might regret asking that... and there's still the teeny tiny matter of saving an old friend who may not want to be saved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Before a Storm

**Author's Note:**

> **Please note** that this fic will contain kidnapping/hostage situation(s), as well as canon-level references to/instances of brainwashing, lost identity, and grievous injury. Also, threesomes and bad language ahoy. Please read accordingly.

"Now, are you sure everything will be fine?"

Billy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't Pepper's fault that she was used to being the one who had to check every last detail lest something get forgotten. "No offense, but you'd probably know that better than any of us," he pointed out with a faint smile. "I mean, you're the one who knows all about the preparations."

"It's not quite that simple, though." Pepper glanced at their gathered little group. Tommy and Kate were arguing about something by the looks of it, with Noh-Varr looking on in mild bemusement, while Kitty and Teddy were having a somewhat calmer discussion next to all of their bags. "I just can't help but look at this and think of all the different ways it could go terribly, horribly wrong."

"You know, when you put it like that, I'm almost tempted to agree." Billy's lips twitched a bit. "Seriously, though. Yes, I'm sure everything will be fine. Right, everyone?" he lifted his voice at the end, hopefully getting everyone's attention. "Please help me tell Pepper that we'll be just fine."

"I see no reason why we wouldn't be." Which was not quite the same, but it seemed like the closest thing Kate could offer at the moment, and, well, he would take what he could get. "There's food waiting for us, right? I know there is, I heard Tony complain about the guys delivering it just this morning, and from what little I could figure out from the argument was that they had already made the delivery. And even if that wasn't true, we'd just pop right back to get some. I don't know about this lot, but I'm not planning to face the holidays without anything to eat."

"The cabin should be heated by now, too," Teddy added. "At least it is if Tony's remote systems are working, and no, I will not get over the fact that the heating in his so-called little holiday cabin can be activated remotely. If there's a malfunction there, well, we're going to survive a few hours until we get the heat going anyway. No immediate crisis there."

"Please don't make me imagine every one of you frozen solid in the middle of nowhere," Pepper sighed. "It's bad enough trying to get Tony to remember that a t-shirt is not appropriate wear in a New York winter. I swear, I'm pretty sure there are toddlers out there who are more sensible about their clothing than that man." And yet there was a definite fondness in her voice and smile. Really, how did she expect anyone to take her complaints seriously when even she couldn't stop from smiling as he spoke?

Kate waved a hand to indicate their little group, all clad in various forms of puffy winter wear. "Well, we've got our winter gear, so I'm pretty sure we'll be better off than Tony in his t-shirts. And if it turns out it's all not enough after all, I trust Billy can conjure us up some more. Right, Billy?"

"Shouldn't be a problem," he agreed. "It'd take a bit more effort than just changing the appearance of things, but I can definitely handle it. It'd be a nice change from all the death and destruction I have to create all the time." No, he had not actually ever brought death to anyone, with his magic or otherwise. Not to his knowledge, in any case, and that was the furthest he was going to allow himself to worry about such things. Anything beyond his knowledge was also beyond his power, and thus he couldn't blame himself for whatever might have happened in such unexplored fringes of reality. And, yeah, he probably should just stop thinking before he freaked himself out too badly.

"See? So nobody's going to get frozen in any way here." Kate grinned. "And if things do get too bad, maybe Teddy can try to channel some of his more impressive roots and light himself on fire. That'd definitely get us all nice and warm."

Teddy laughed at that, a sweet, clear sound, and Billy was so very thankful that Teddy could think about someone being on fire and laugh. Not because he fancied the idea of a sociopathic husband, no, clearly the implication here was that everyone involved would be just fine, but the fact remained that most of their interactions with Skrulls on fire had ended less than favorably. At the mildest, there were sudden invasions and narrowly escaping death at the hands of shadowy assassins.

At worst, there were charred corpses and ashes scattered in the middle of quiet statues guarding a garden.

Okay, this was definitely a high time he stopped thinking about such things. It was like his mind was actively trying to ruin any semblance of a holiday he might have hoped for.

"Well, I've got to admit, knowing you'll be fed and warm is something of a relief," Pepper sighed. "But that's still not enough to convince me that everything is going to go well."

"Ah. If I may?" Teddy looked almost sheepish. "I know you're worried about us all. And really, that's great. We're thankful for it, we really are, because it's amazing that you'd spend some of your all too precious spare time to worry about us. But, and please don't take this wrong, we actually are adults. Well. Some of us are." It really should not have amused Billy so much that his brief glance at this point was to Tommy, who was affecting indignation at the implication, and not the significantly younger Kitty standing right next to him. "And, yes, I know that's not much of a guarantee, especially in this household. There was that incident with the spiders —"

"I'm still pretty sure Clint was lying about whose fault that was," Kate sighed. "And it probably should worry me a bit more that I believe my dear father would be claiming responsibility for mischief he had no hand in just because otherwise Tony will get the dubious honor of having released a plague of arachnids all through SHIELD's main offices."

"Right. Point being, well, the rest of our daily lives aren't exactly ordinary, either, no matter what happens. Kind of comes with the territory, living in a glorified superhero frathouse and all. We're all somewhat less than normal individuals, and that's bound to come out in some form, which isn't always going to be pretty. But still, we've all managed to stay alive so far. Yes, some of that is thanks to your keeping everyone in line about some of the more worrisome things, and yes, I'm pretty sure Tony would have bled out on at least three different occasions by now if he didn't have you and Steve to force him to get himself checked over after fights, but the point is, this really shouldn't be that worrying a matter."

"What I believe Teddy here is trying to say," Billy said, "is that this isn't part of our everyday lives. And in this case, that happens to be a good thing, given the forms our everyday lives tend to take. You are used to worrying about everyone because usually we are dealing with villains and magical plagues and robot invasions, so now you're trying to turn that worrying to our more mundane pursuits. Except given most of our status as legal adults, we really should be expected to handle the gruesome challenge of spending a week away from home."

"Right." Pepper sighed again. "I know you're right, of course, it's just... well. Like you said, it's difficult to stop worrying all of a sudden."

"If it makes you feel any better, with our usual luck we'll probably have a villain or two crashing in through the windows before our week's up," Tommy said, grinning at Pepper, because Tommy always knew just the thing not to say. "Then you can do your usual worrying thing and fuss over us afterward. Until then, though, we can handle ourselves, promise. We're not exactly a bunch of five-year-olds going on a sleepover."

"Honestly?" Pepper raised her eyebrows. "I would probably be less worried about the sleepover. At least that would be expected to involve more or less constant adult supervision, along with a much lower potential for destruction on part of the participants."

"I can tell you've never actually had to babysit five-year-olds." Billy grinned, though. "You do remember we're not going alone, right? So there will be adult supervision. Well. Adult-er, seeing how we're all very responsible adults with very responsible lives, seriously, I'm even married. I'm pretty sure when I was a kid I thought that was the absolute pinnacle of all adultdom. When you're married, nobody can ever tell you what to do, not even your parents."

"Oh, how utterly mistaken you were." Teddy chuckled, stepping forward to draw Billy into his arms, resting his chin on top of his head. And, yeah, he was not ever going to stop loving that, thanks. "And here you are, having to argue about everything you're going to do with your terrible bore of a husband."

"Indeed. I'm so very unfortunate, I think I can't bear it." He twisted himself around in Teddy's arms to lean up for a quick kiss. Naturally, he ignored Tommy's little gagging sounds. He knew they were exaggerated, anyway.

"Oh, believe me, I haven't forgotten that particular fact." Pepper certainly seemed unaffected by their display. Then, it wasn't like it was anything out of the ordinary. "If May hadn't agreed to come along to keep an eye on you, I'm not sure I would have agreed to let you do this. I certainly wouldn't have let you take along a minor you'd have to be responsible for." She looked at Kitty. "No offense meant. I'm sure you are quite capable of looking after yourself under most circumstances, but anything involving this bunch of misfits is not exactly fitting to go under that label."

"None taken." Kitty chuckled. "Honestly, I'm almost surprised the Professor agreed to let me come along. Not because he doesn't trust everyone here, but because he seems to have developed a certain assumption that these guys have the tendency to get into trouble whenever they stay in one place too long." She gave them a teasing grin. "I have absolutely no idea how he could have come to such a conclusion."

"When are the rest coming, anyway?" Of course Tommy was the one being impatient. "They do know we're supposed to be leaving, right?"

"Calm down, Tommy." Kate sighed. "We told them to be here by noon, and it's still ten to. There's plenty of time for Peter's people to arrive."

"Ten minutes is forever, though. Do you know how long that is? It's enough for me to die of boredom, that's for sure."

"You know, maybe the analogy about little kids on a sleepover wasn't that far off the mark, after all." Pepper gave them one of the fond smiles she usually reserved for Tony, the one that screamed, "You make my life very difficult, and some day I might very well stab you to death with a stiletto heel, but until such a time I choose to hold fond feelings for you because there is no way I could cope otherwise." Pepper had very expressive smiles sometimes. "You've all got your phones, right?"

"Of course. Plenty of chargers to go around, too." Billy nodded, seeing his gesture repeated throughout the group. "And Kate has the panic button Tony built for us. That should work even if there's no coverage, so if there's an emergency we can let you know. And we've agreed on a schedule for a pick-up if we don't get back on time on our own, so you don't have to worry about us somehow managing to forget how many days we've been away or something."

"And, really, if there is an emergency Billy can just pop right back, or one of the speedsters can just make a quick run here," Teddy added. "I mean, you're very good at this worrying thing, but the upshot of often having reason to worry is, we do develop systems to anticipate that. So, you know. We're really trying to do our best to avoid anything terrible managing to happen."

"Now, if only I could be sure you'll remember to make use of all those systems in place." This time her smile was a bit more relaxed, though. "I suppose I'll try and worry a bit less. After all, you're all going to be out of my hair for the next week; it would be rather sad if I ruined such an opportunity by fretting over you all anyway."

"That's the spirit." Billy chuckled. "Well, I suppose I could get started on the portal thing so we'll be ready for everyone to get over by the time May and Peter and Mary Jane get here." And the strange thing was, he actually wasn't worried about managing that, even though he had never personally been to the location. He was going to be doing some fairly sophisticated magic, yet he had more or less full confidence that he was going to succeed, and that was a rather weird feeling, really.

Okay, so he had made sure the people Tony had hired to do a supply drop before their arrival also took along a familiar object he could focus on, but that was just a reasonable precaution. Which, like the panic button and all their other redundancies, would probably not be needed at all but made him feel better simply by existing nevertheless.

And really. They were going to spend a week in the snow, away from villains and fancy society parties and other responsibilities, and then get back in time for Kitty and Mary Jane and Peter to get back to school at the start of the next term. Really, his main worry was probably going to be getting bored with a bit of utterly safe and uneventful life.

What could possibly go wrong?

*

"So." Kitty was the first to speak once they had all passed through the portal, stepping into a rather sizable entrance hall. "This is what Tony calls a cottage, is it?"

"A cabin, actually." Kate took a glance around the place, herself. There were several doors leaving the entrance hall, and several more lining the landing at the top of the stairs. The heating was clearly on, which was good. For all her jokes she hadn't exactly been looking forward to the possibility of being cold for hours until the place got warm. "Which can be somewhat more lavish, I suppose. More of a sliding scale available with a cabin. Steve called it a cottage, but then I'm pretty sure Steve has never actually been here in person."

"I'd think not. Knowing Steve, he wouldn't agree to call this anything less than a manor." Billy snorted, turning back to his portal so he could take it apart now that everyone had passed through. "Though then, it's not like we could settle for much less unless we want to take communal sleeping to its extremes."

"Oh, I'm not complaining, really, just making an observation on the very skewed look your father has on life."

"You're telling me." Billy glanced around as he got the last tendrils of magic reabsorbed or whatever it was he did. "I'm pretty sure the bedrooms are all upstairs. We should probably get settled in before worrying about anything else."

"Dibs on the biggest bed!" Tommy's hand shot up immediately. As everyone turned to look at him, he gave them his best innocent look. "What? We've got three people sharing, of course we should get the biggest one."

Teddy chuckled. "I think for once Tommy has a point," he said with a teasing grin. "So, how about we take a look at the rooms available, and see if we can make do with what we have or whether we'll have to get magic involved."

"Don't get too carried away, now," Billy warned. "A portal somewhere I've never been before is not exactly a simple matter, I'm not going to be doing any major rearrangements just because someone doesn't like the color of the curtains or whatever. Unless it turns out we don't have enough beds or none of them can fit more than one person, I'm not lifting a finger."

"Well, I really don't think a place owned by Tony Stark will have the problem of too narrow beds." Kate grabbed her bag, then made for the stairs. Tommy, of course, chose this moment to sprint right past her, for all that he hadn't been in too much of a hurry to do so earlier. She might have almost been annoyed if she hadn't been so fond of the little idiot. Honestly, Pepper and she should have formed a support group for long-suffering Stark girlfriends or something.

By the time she got to the upstairs landing, the rest trailing behind her, Tommy had already managed to throw open all the doors there, checking out the rooms. "Here, Kate!" Tommy grinned at her from one of the doorways. "I'm officially claiming this room in the name of the fearsome Stark-Barton-Varr union!"

"I'm not entirely sure you can use his name like that." Not that Noh was going to complain either way, he was awfully tolerant of Tommy's little quirks sometimes.

"Don't be silly, of course I can." Tommy at least had the decency to wait for her to get up the stairs before he vanished inside the room again. As she reached the doorway, he was lying on the huge bed that seemed to be the main feature of the room. "See? Totally big enough."

"Assuming you don't decide to steal all the covers again," Kate pointed out, dropping her bag in a corner and proceeding to take off her coat. Tommy had already shed his, not that it surprised her. "You'd think I'd get to keep those for myself, sharing a bed with two guys with heightened metabolism."

"Ah, but if that were the case, we wouldn't have cause to provide you with our own warmth," Noh pointed out as he entered the room after her. "And that would be a loss indeed."

"Noh, sweetie, I know you're trying your best, but you're not going to convince me that Tommy is in fact stealing the covers in his sleep just to give you the opportunity to share body heat with me."

"Perhaps that is not his intention, but that does tend to be the end result." Noh chuckled, setting his bag next to hers. It wasn't until now that Kate spotted Tommy's, slung aside without much care, leaving it half under the bed. Typical. "So, what is the purpose of this expedition? I have to admit I am not too familiar with the concept of a vacation."

"Basically, we're going to kick back and not do anything serious for a week," Tommy replied with a grin, hands folded behind his head as he lay on the bed. "Not that we often do anything serious back in the city, either, but here we shouldn't get alerted to any new villain threats or whatever, so we might actually get the chance to relax a bit."

"Well, don't get too relaxed just yet," Kate said, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she listened to the sounds from the corridor as everyone else found and picked their rooms. "There's a lot to do before we can actually settle down, and you're going to help."

"Aw, come on," Tommy whined. "What can there be? Tony's people have made sure we've got food and shit, right?"

"Right, but we still need to check and make inventory of what we have, and plan what we're going to eat when. Also, I promised May I'd help her draw up a chore list so we won't drown in dirty dishes and trash. And yes, I expect everyone to do their part."

"Ugh, fine." At least he didn't try to argue; that would have been a rather miserable start to the vacation. "But just so you know, I'm not about to—"

"Hey, guys?" Mary Jane peeked in through the open doorway, interrupting whatever it was Tommy was about to announce he wasn't going to do. "Teddy needs willing accomplices to put up Christmas decorations since his mixed marriage woefully leaves him with a husband who doesn't see what all the fuss is about. You in?"

"I cannot say I have much more understanding of the season, despite everyone's attempts to educate me," Noh admitted. "However, if there are tasks I could assist with, I would be happy to."

"Eh, can't be worse than helping Kate draw up chore charts." And just like that, Tommy was off the bed and at the door. "Just tell me what I need to do later, Katie, love you busy busy bye!" Without further ado, he pushed past Mary Jane and was off.

Kate exchanged amused glances with Noh, then looked at Mary Jane. "Please tell me there is no mistletoe involved," she sighed. "Tommy gets far too amused at the idea of plant-induced kissing."

"I'm not sure, but I can at least limit his access." Mary Jane offered her a faint smile. "You in?"

"Sure, what the hell? It's not like anyone's going to do anything productive until the place is festive enough, anyway." Not that she actually minded. Teddy was the one who adored Christmas decorations the most, but Tommy was far more enthusiastic about any hints of family tradition than he would have liked to admit.

Darcy had once, and only once, made a joke about Tommy not getting hugged enough as a child. Kate had wasted no time in explaining that this was a phrase not to be used in the Tower, ever, mostly because for quite a few of the Avengers, it didn't even begin to cover the issue.

Nobody was saying that now, though, and as she stepped out of the room she saw Tommy and Teddy arguing over a box of Christmas decorations down in the hall. She saw Billy standing in one of the doorways, looking vaguely amused, and shared a slightly exasperated glance with him. This, at least, was familiar ground.

"Happy holidays," she murmured as she started to make her way down the stairs, "and peace on Earth to all and sundry."

What did they need villains for when they had only one set of dainty angel-shaped Christmas lights?

*

"Hi." Someone sat down next to Kitty in front of the TV. Looking up, she found Billy smiling at her, reaching out a steaming cup of hot chocolate. She accepted it with a smile and a nod, curling her hands around the warm mug. "Hope you don't mind the intrusion."

"Not at all. I wasn't really watching anything, anyway." Which was true enough; she'd just been staring at the screen. There wasn't anything good on in any case. "Are you trying to bribe me into anything special?"

"Just thought you'd like some company who isn't going crazy over all this." Billy's fond smile rather clashed with his words. "I thought I'd be able to have a chat with Noh-Varr, but Tommy actually got him into a competition over which one can hang decorations faster. I fear the whole place will look like a Christmas tree threw up here before they're done."

"Ugh." Kitty grimaced, then tucked one feet under herself. It wasn't cold in the room, per se, but the warmth of the mug made everything seem that much cooler in comparison. "And Kate's not even trying to stop them?"

"Apparently she trusts they'll run out of stuff eventually. I think she still greatly underestimates Tony's capability to stock absolutely everything in excess." Billy's lips twitched. "How have you been? It's been a while."

"Which isn't my fault, mind you." She gave him an exaggerated frown. "You're the one who hasn't been around the school for ages."

"Been kind of busy saving the world, you know. Also, not true. I did visit just a couple of days ago, you're the one who wasn't there." Billy blew at his own drink before taking a little sip. "I heard you were visiting your family?"

"Well, yes. My grandma came over, and I never would have heard the end of it if I'd dared be anywhere else." She made a face. "And no, she would not have accepted saving the world as an excuse. I'm lucky they let me come here with everyone else."

"I think I know the type." There was a slight wistful tone to his voice, but then he brightened. "So, the Professor invited us over. Apparently he was determined to have a proper Hanukkah celebration on at least one night, even though he had hardly any idea of it, all to make Erik happy. Frankly, I don't think Erik himself cared much either way, I don't exactly get the feeling he puts much weight on all that anymore, but he seemed happy enough to have all of us there, whatever the excuse."

"And who would be 'all of us' in this case?" Kitty lifted his eyebrows. "I know there are a couple of other Jewish kids at the school, but that's hardly going to be a big crowd."

"Well, no, but we were mostly keeping it in the family, so to speak." Billy chuckled. "Wanda and Ororo actually managed to drag Pietro over, and Teddy and Tommy trailed along with me. It was actually kind of fun, to tell the truth. Erik and I taught Ororo how to light the candles with teeny tiny lightning bolts. You should have seen her face when she succeeded."

"Now I almost wish I'd been there." The hot chocolate was good, nice and warm and sweet. She took a small sip, listening to the sounds from elsewhere in the house. The rec room was more or less decorated already, what little there was in the way of such things; there were garlands and pretty lights, with one lonely menorah standing on the window sill against the snowy landscape. The tree, by common agreement, had been placed in the living room, the tree in question being a huge thing that almost reached the ceiling even in this oversized place Tony Stark apparently refused to call a mansion. Last time she had passed by, Teddy had been flying up near the top of the tree, hanging decorations, though going by the sounds he was now arguing with Peter about something. "So how do you feel about all this?"

"Christmas fuss?" Billy shrugged. "I'm... kind of used to it? I mean, I've been living with Teddy for years now. At first it wasn't quite so overwhelming, though we did do what we could so he wouldn't feel utterly neglected around Christmas, but then he wasn't too enthusiastic about it either. I... well, I think it reminded him of his mother. He told us he was grateful for us going to any trouble on his behalf, and I think he meant it, but he still seemed relieved that we weren't making a huge deal out of it." His lips twitched. "Then the first year we lived in the Tower, he and Steve teamed up and decorated all the living spaces they could get to. I still don't know how they got the Santa hats to stick on top of Tony's bots. I think it's something to do with Steve's childhood, I mean, he probably didn't have much of anything special around Christmas, growing up. Tony thinks it's all a bit silly, but then he's rarely able to tell Steve no about things like that. And Teddy, well, I think after years of living in a Jewish household there was a lot of pent-up Christmas spirit trying to get out, or something."

"It's good to know even Tony Stark has his weaknesses, I suppose." Kitty grinned. "So is it still as bad?"

"Not quite? I mean, he still insisted on decorating our place, even though we knew a while ago we wouldn't be spending the holidays there, but then we also put a menorah up and such. And, well, that's good, isn't it? We've got different backgrounds, so now that we have our own place, it makes more sense to make room for both of our traditions than to have neither of them."

"So the tree he's currently yelling about is the second one he's gotten to decorate this year?"

"Third, actually. There's the one at our house, and he helped with the one at the Tower. And that's not counting the tiny one in Tony's lab that makes Tony huff and puff and swear he's going to throw it out right this minute, even though he has been swearing the same for two weeks now." Billy shook his head. "I'm still debating on whether I should point this out to Peter and Mary Jane. They might appreciate the leverage in whatever argument they're having over there, but, well, I'm married to the man. I'm pretty sure that means I'm supposed to stick by his side, even when he's being silly."

"Don't think I remember that being part of your vows." Not that she'd listened that closely; she'd been quite busy trying to dry her eyes. Shut up, it was all nice and romantic, okay? "Your half of them, anyway. I mean, for all we know Teddy could have promised to cut you up and throw you on the barbecue and we wouldn't know anything but what Noh-Varr told us."

"I'm pretty sure Tommy would have picked up on something being weird, even though his Kree skills are pretty basic." There was a crash from somewhere, and Billy winced. "Why do I think that was Tommy?"

There was a second, then two, and then Kitty caught Kate's voice, the words unclear but the yelling unmistakable. "Well, one of the speeders, at least."

"I think you're right about that." Billy sighed. "I just hope it's nothing too big and expensive. I mean, not like we can't afford to replace it, but Teddy will frown about it, and repair spells give me a headache."

"You know, I can literally walk through walls, but the stuff you say still sometimes makes me think my life has gotten really weird." But he got her hot chocolate and talked with her about how weird the rest were being, so that was just fine.

"Deal with it. You're the one who chose to get involved with us lot."

"So not true. You're the ones who came to my rescue back then. Really, you should be ashamed for meddling in my affairs." Why, yes, she was still infinitely grateful to them for showing up in what had been the absolute worst moment of her life. It was just a sign of how far she'd come since then that she could now actually tease him about it.

"You're right, of course. That still doesn't change the fact I happen to know you've been meeting with my husband behind my back." Good thing Billy's smile was equally teasing, or she might have gotten worried.

"And that was not my idea, either. Well, not entirely. Actually, Tommy suggested it."

"Oh?" Billy blinked. "Should I ask why?"

"It... well. It's got to do with, well, what happened." She winced. "I... never had trouble taking others through walls, before that. Well, not ever since I first learned how to do that. But after the attack, I just... couldn't. I was terrified I'd let go by accident and..." And whoever she had been taking through would get stuck. Just like that one man.

Billy nodded, slowly. "Would this have to do with Tommy's own phasing ability?"

"Kind of? He actually convinced me to practice on him. Since, according to him, if it even seemed like I was about to let go, he was fast enough to phase himself before any harm was done. And then, once I could more or less handle that, he told me to try on Teddy." And she probably shouldn't be talking about all this, not unless she wanted an angry witch going after her.

"Because Teddy probably wouldn't be too badly hurt even if he materialized in the middle of a wall." Thankfully, Billy just nodded, as though he had been expecting just that. "That makes sense, actually."

"So, yeah. Though I refused to do it through actual walls. But we found this partition at the school that came up to his waist, so we tried it there. I figured there wasn't much of a risk as long as I could be sure none of his vital parts could possibly be affected."

"You know, I know I probably should be all terrified about this and thinking about how stupid and risky all that is, but honestly? All I'm thinking of is making some kind of a tasteless joke about how there are plenty of parts below Teddy's waistline that I'd prefer to keep intact."

That actually startled a laugh out of Kitty, though right after she had to fight down a tiny flush. "I think we'd both be better off if we don't get into that."

"Oh, don't look like that." Billy was grinning, now, a look that reminded her that, yes, he actually was related to Tommy. Or possibly Tony. Not that she had much experience about dealing with the oldest Stark, but he did have a reputation. "I'm a married man, you know. I'm practically obligated to say some embarrassing things every now and then, long as I don't get too graphic. Wouldn't want to scar you for life or anything, after all."

Kitty was still trying to figure out just what she should say to that, her brain stuck between embarrassed and snarky, when something small and green came rushing towards them, colliding with Billy's knees. He just about managed to steady what was left of his drink, then looked down. "Legolas. What's the rush?"

"Billy!" The little alien looked up at him, beady eyes sparkling, then turned around and shouted to someone else. "Found Billy!"

"You know, that thing is just too cute for words." Mary Jane entered the room, chuckling and patting Legolas on the head when she got close enough. "I asked him if he knew where you were, and he ran off, just like that."

"Yeah, I think Tommy's taught him some bad habits." Billy smiled. "Did you have a reason for looking for me?"

"Actually, May sent me. She was just taking inventory of the kitchen and asked me to find you. And Kitty, actually, so apparently I'm getting this done very easily."

"Oh?" Billy blinked. "Did she want us to help or something?"

"Nah, she was just wondering what the two of you would like to eat tomorrow." Legolas held up his arms, and Mary Jane picked him up. Not that Kitty could blame her, the thing was absolutely adorable. "You know, since she'll be doing a pretty traditional Christmas dinner, and wondered if there was anything you'd prefer instead."

"Really?" Billy glanced at Kitty. "Honestly, I was thinking of popping back to New York and getting some Chinese take-out. That's as close to traditional as I'm going to get." Kitty nodded her agreement. Yeah, that sounded pretty good to her, too.

Mary Jane made a face. "If you think you can do that, you really don't know the first thing about May," she said, then gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I'll pass on the word, but be prepared for protests soon enough. If anything, she'll want to make some Chinese for you. If she offers, take her up on it, by the way. She's amazing at it."

"Uh, duly noted?" Billy scratched the back of his head. "She does realize that we actually don't consider tomorrow a special day or anything, right? I mean, obviously it's special to most of you, but we're not going to be traumatized even if we're eating take-out. I meant it when I said it's kind of a tradition for me."

"Maybe, but she considers it a matter of principle. There's going to be a nice, homemade dinner tomorrow for everyone, even if she has to lock us all up in the kitchen as slave labor to manage it. That, and I think she's happy to be cooking Christmas dinner for more than two for a change." Mary Jane's smile faltered for a moment, then returned. "So don't think you're getting away without a fight."

"Well, I'm volunteering on helping in the kitchen tomorrow, if she doesn't mind showing me what to do," Kitty said. "And really, I'll eat what's put in front of me."

"I'd offer to help, too, but Teddy's made it clear I actually create more work than I help if things get complicated, so unless there's something really simple to do I'll just be moral support or something? May could just ask him, you know, I know he's already planning on helping with the cooking and he knows what I like to eat." Then, just as it seemed like they were going to have a normal conversation, Billy added with a perfectly straight face, "Besides him, of course."

"You know, I think you're getting a bit too bored, Stark," Mary Jane said, though there was a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "I should probably find something for you to do."

"I could hang up mistletoe?" Billy grinned. "And I can't help it. Usually I let Tommy say all the worst stuff, but he's busy wrecking the place, so obviously I have to do my part."

"Maybe you should just send Teddy over," Kitty suggested. "I mean, obviously then they'll get all sappy, but at least then they'll keep the worst of the snark between themselves."

"Can't. He's acting look-out right now. Noh-Varr was hanging lights up on the wall and Peter decided to help him, so Teddy's keeping an eye out for May."

"Ah, the joys of secret identities." Billy sighed, then saluted with his cup. "The one thing I really don't miss from back when we were all young and innocent."

"I highly doubt you were ever anything that could be described as innocent, o spawn of Stark." Mary Jane smiled, though. "I would hate you, except you occasionally pull my idiot boyfriend's ass out of the trouble he gets himself into, so it's in my best interests to stay on your good side."

"I would just like to state for the record that I have not ever done anything inappropriate regarding your boyfriend's ass. Just so you know."

Kitty leaned her head on the back of the couch and wondered just how this had become her life, sitting in a mini-mansion in the middle of nowhere and listening to Billy Stark and Spider-Man's girlfriend making slightly inappropriate jokes at each other as the last day of Hanukkah started edging away towards Christmas.

Clearly, she had been a very good girl indeed.


	2. Tempest in a Teapot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is quiet and peaceful, except where it isn't. The Tony and Clint may or may gossip about their teammates, the young ones play outside, and there is more than enough snow for a white Christmas.
> 
> Of course, things get a lot less cozy when Billy wakes up sick, and the Avengers Tower gets some unexpected guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I checked the timeline of the fic and realized that after looking up the dates of Hanukkah, New York State school holidays, and just about everything else to make things work, I'd somehow managed to miss the fact that December 24th comes directly before Christmas Day. Which, _what_. Fortunately, this didn't require any major changes; all that's different are some minor edits to the Billy-Kitty scene in the previous chapter.
> 
> Here's hoping I didn't miss anything else...

"Okay, this is weird." Clint threw himself on the couch, utterly ignoring Tony's expression as he did so. If it could bear Steve and Thor at the same time, it could damn well take him flopping down every now and then. "I know it's not actually that much more quiet, but it sure as hell feels like it."

"Don't get too used to it." Tony dropped down in an armchair, not that much more delicate than Clint had been in his movements, the hypocrite. "They're going to be back in time for their friends to get back to school."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm well aware. Still, for now, I'm going to enjoy this." Clint stretched his arms up over his head, then folded them over his chest. "I'm imagining perfect silence."

"You know that's ridiculous, right?" Even without looking he knew Tony was lifting an eyebrow at him. "You make at least as much noise as the kids when you're in the mood. It's not like they're a bunch of primary schoolers running around. The worst it gets is when they're watching a movie and shouting at the screen, and we're just as bad about that sometimes."

"I know, I know. It's the psychological part of it, that's all." Clint grinned. "That, and regardless of the age of anyone involved, it's obviously going to be more peaceful when half of the people living here are away."

"Hm, true." Tony leaned back. "Who's left? I know Thor went away, he was fussing about finally getting to meet Jane's parents, now there's a fucking terrifying thought. And their pet intern's gone to meet her own family for the holidays, right?"

"Don't let Darcy catch you calling her that or she'll tase your balls off. She's got some attitude on her, that's for sure." Clint chuckled. "I'm pretty sure Nat's still around, since I heard her and Pepper talking about what we're going to do for dinner. And Bruce is at Xavier's, though he'll probably be back by tomorrow."

"Wait, what?" Tony suddenly sat up very straight. "Bruce is where? I thought he'd just gotten buried in his lab and we'd have to drag him out in time for dinner."

"Yeah, no, he's at the school. I think the excuse is that Dr. McCoy invited him, so they can talk long and hard about science all night long."

"Excuse?" Aha, Tony was clearly intrigued, now. "And is that not the reason?"

"Oh, I'm sure there's going to be some geek talk, there always is when you science types get together. But I'm pretty sure part of the reason is that redhead they hired recently at the Foundation." Clint threw Tony a grin. "I went with Bruce to Potts Tower the other day, he had something to do there and I was bored so I tagged along. I swear, he all but stammered when we ran into the woman. Not that I can blame him, she's pretty hot and I get the feeling she's smart, too. God knows the metal man doesn't suffer fools around him."

"Now, that's very interesting indeed." Tony gave him a gleeful grin. "What else do you know about her? No, wait, I should ask Pepper, she always knows everyone. Maybe Natasha? Anyway, I need to get more information on this. I've got to make sure she's good enough for my good doctor."

Clint chuckled. "You know, I could say something about you and scary-smart redheads, but I actually don't think there's anything for me to worry about. I mean, yeah, you're Tony Stark, playboy extraordinaire, but for some reason I actually don't think you'd mess around on Steve and Pepper."

"Of course not." Tony's tone was still light, but there was a hint of sincerity behind it. "After all, if I fucked that up, my kids would tell me off, and I'm not sure I'm ready to face a relationship lecture from someone who hasn't turned twenty yet."

"Well, to be fair, Billy's been married for almost half a year. That's longer in a happy marriage than most people in this place can claim."

Tony snorted. "Like that means anything. You've been married longer than that and I wouldn't trust relationship advice from you."

"Hey, I resent that. I'll have you know Phil's never had any complaints about my conduct as a husband." Clint gave a small hum. "My conduct as an agent, an asset, and an Avenger, sure, but never as a husband. I've got that shit down at least, whatever else I may mess up."

"And I'd like to point out that Agent is clearly weird in that regard, as evidenced by the fact that he chose to marry you. Clearly his experience can't be taken to mean much." Tony stretched himself. "So, anyway. Anything you can share on this new interest of our good doctor? Come on, I've got to look out for my bestie here."

"I thought Rhodes was your bestie."

"I've got a big heart. Plenty of room for two. See, Rhodey's my long-term bestie, and Bruce's the newcomer who's made himself a nice little nest in the corner of my heart not already occupied. No conflict there whatsoever."

"Oh, I don't know. There might be plenty of conflict if Bruce hears you're trying to butt in on his dating prospects." Clint smirked. "You know he's a grown man, right? And he's dated before? It's pretty doubtful they're going to start doing the nasty over the dinner table at Xavier's, anyway, the poor guy's just going to be trying to make a good impression on both her and the metal man so he might maybe some day have a chance, or whatever. No reason for you to get involved yet when nothing's actually happening."

"Please, I wasn't going to interfere. Just a little recon, that's all. Be prepared in case I have to comfort Brucey-poo in the wake of terrible, painful heartbreak." Tony paused. "Speaking of heartbreak, any idea where Steve's gone to? He disappeared pretty much right after breakfast, which I've got to admit is not something I expected him to do on Christmas of all days. I mean, the gift part's over with, it's not like he could be running off for some last-minute purchase."

"Pretty sure he's liaising with the other super teams. You know, make sure there's enough of us in town in case some criminals decide to get really nasty and attack over the holidays." Clint waved his hand. "I told him to do it over the phone like normal people, but apparently he decided to go give his holiday wishes at the same time. He promised to be back well before dinner, though, so you can get all smoochy then."

"That man's going to be the death of me some day, with all his stupid responsibility and reliability and shit." Tony paused for a moment, then stood up. "Come on, it's too quiet. We need to do something or I'm going to go crazy."

"Oh? And what do you propose we do?" Even so, Clint was already standing up. Far it be from him to refuse some well-timed distraction. "I'll just warn you, I'm not going to get up to anything that's likely to earn Phil's ire. He really doesn't take well to anything that ruins a day off."

"I've got a new type of trick arrow I need to test, and if you're fast enough, you get to help me do that."

Clint grinned. "I knew it was Christmas, but I didn't expect it to be my birthday as well."

"Chop chop, Merida. The range might wait forever, but I won't."

Perhaps the silence was a bit weird, but then, they were very gifted at filling it.

*

They were, Kate decided, far too old for something like this.

Sure, she hated it when people tried to dictate how she could or couldn't spend her time, but really, there were limits. She was a grown woman, clearly she shouldn't have been spending her time gathering snow into nice, tightly packed balls that fit into her hand just so.

Too bad she was just so damn good at it.

Then, none of the others seemed to be letting their age get in the way of having fun. Tommy and Noh-Varr had long since abandoned any semblance of an actual fight with anyone else, instead running as fast as they could in the thick snow, chasing each other in turns and sometimes getting tackled face first into the snow. They were shouting and laughing and obviously having fun, and really, she should have been embarrassed to know she was letting such brats into her bed at night.

Well. Assuming they had warmed up by then. She was not going to deal with two sets of cold feet and hands under the cover, thank you very much.

A ball flew right past her head, and she quickly retaliated, throwing one in the direction of the most likely assailant. Kitty shrieked with laughter and ducked, almost tumbling in the wake of her sudden movement. However, she had little time to recover; Mary Jane had apparently decided to target her as well, catching her in the shoulder.

"Nice shot." Kate smirked at Mary Jane. "What do you say, should we team up? Show them how the normal girls can kick everyone's ass."

"I think I like your idea." Mary Jane chuckled. "The lovebirds seem to have abandoned the fight anyway, so we could just go against Kitty and Peter."

Kate glanced over to where Billy and Teddy were, their attention indeed more on each other than anyone else. Billy was flying along, his scarf waving in the air as though in resemblance of his cape, while Teddy seemed to have no trouble keeping up with him. Oh, of course there was still snow flying between them, but somehow they managed to make it look more like a complicated form of flirtation than any actual contest. Legolas ran in their wake, currently balancing on top of an ever growing ball of snow, clad in tiny boots and mittens. Kate wasn't exactly sure if the thing needed them, he was covered in something like fur after all, but the sight was too cute for her to worry too much about the practicality of it.

Well, they at least had the excuse of it being a winter outing with their pseudo-kid. Far it be from her to deny them their joy.

"Yeah, doesn't seem like they're going to mind if we ignore them." And seriously, what was it with the boys going off on their own? Looking over to where Peter was busy building a wall to duck behind, she raised her voice. "Hey, Kitty, Peter! It's you two against us!" Then, not waiting to hear their response, she threw a ball towards Peter's head. He ducked it, probably sensing the approaching danger or however it was his senses worked, but she did manage to get his shoulder instead. Score.

For someone without any kind of powers or training, Mary Jane did work quite well with her. Their opponents were obviously cheating, Peter with his spider-senses and Kitty with her phasing, but that was where teamwork came in. Mary Jane kept up a constant barrage, limiting their options for movement, leaving Kate to get the good shots when they weren't watching her or just couldn't dodge.

Mary Jane seemed to get some sort of glee from nailing her boyfriend with a well-aimed shot. Kate found she could relate.

The others joined them at some point, Tommy and Noh-Varr first, rushing in without any previous agreement and picking sides. Noh-Varr hid behind Peter's wall, the traitor, while Tommy came to Kate and Mary Jane's side, saying something utterly obnoxious about having all the women on his side. At that point, Kate rather approved of Kitty's surprise tackle from inside the snow. Really, the boy had brought it upon himself.

Billy and Teddy enjoyed their private little game a while longer, before finally coming close, Legolas shrieking with delight. At that point what little organization there had been collapsed into a merry free-for-all, with everyone once again trying their best to deposit as much snow on top of as many people as they could possibly manage.

Kate was pretty sure that Teddy turning into some kind of a horrific snow golem was either cheating or the most shining triumph for the rest of them.

She lay in the snow at the end of it, breathless and laughing, the cold air making her cheeks and nose prickle and tingle. Most of the others had collapsed as well, dropping here and there among their battlefield, staring up into the sky.

"That was fun," Billy said, laughter clear in his voice, soon replaced by mischief. "So. Do you want to build a snowman?"

At least he didn't start singing. At that point Kate might have been forced to just bury him in the snow and be done with it.

They did build a snowman, as it happened, a very large one at that, modeled after the dragon-like monster the Avengers had faced a couple of weeks earlier. Kate wasn't entirely sure they should have managed such a complicated structure from pure snow, but if Billy was using his powers to help them along, well, she wasn't going to tell.

They were putting in the finishing touches, Kate focusing on sculpting the best snow fangs she could possibly manage, when the door opened and May peeked out.

"You should come in," she called out. "Lunch is ready, and after that we'll have to make dinner. I'm not cooking all that by myself."

Well, that was obviously good enough a reason. The monster was left almost entirely toothless as they hurried inside, laughing and chatting. The snow had been trampled and messed up all around, but more was already falling down from the sky. Maybe they'd continue the next day.

They were clearly, absolutely too old for something like this.

But then, that was half of the fun, wasn't it?

*

"I know I was hoping for a white Christmas, but this is getting ridiculous." Mary Jane frowned as she looked out of the window, where the soft snowfall of lunchtime had turned into what could only be called a storm. She couldn't even see the trees that surrounded the cabin not that far away, everything turning into a darkening white-gray blur.

"Yeah, doesn't look like we're going out any time soon." Peter's hand came to rest on her shoulder, warm and steady in contrast to the cold vista behind the glass. "But hey, it's Christmas. We've got nowhere to be and nothing to do except enjoy the peace and quiet, right?"

"What peace and quiet?" Mary Jane lifted her eyebrows, though she couldn't hold back a smile. As she turned away from the window, she saw Tommy, Noh-Varr, and Kitty struggling with the cables of a game console in front of the big TV, while Aunt May waited patiently on the side, rather content to let the young ones deal with the annoyance before she swept the floor with them in the game itself. Teddy and Billy were lying on the floor with a pile of comic books, Billy's head resting on Teddy's back while Legolas in turn napped on his stomach, exchanging the occasional comment about what they were reading. It was all sickeningly sweet, yes, and perhaps even peaceful, but she wasn't about to call it silent any time soon.

"Okay, so we'll just enjoy ourselves." Peter grinned. "You going to join in on the game? We've got more than enough controllers to go around."

"No thanks. I'll get quite enough entertainment from seeing you lose pathetically." At his wounded look, she snorted. "Come on, Peter. For someone with such superior reflexes and coordination, you're awful at video games the moment there's another player to go against. I've seen you lose to Sam while he had his eyes closed."

"I still say he was peeking, the cheating brat." And yet there was a slight tone of fondness to Peter's voice. Oh, boys, never quite saying what they felt. "You sure you don't want to join?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. You go ahead and get your butt kicked." She grinned at his affronted look. "What? You've brought this reputation upon yourself, Parker. Don't look at me."

"You know, sometimes I do wonder what I see in you." Peter managed to keep up his hurt look for perhaps five seconds, then grinned and leaned in to steal a kiss. "I'll show you what I can do."

"Do your worst." Even so, she couldn't help but smile as he hurried off to where the game was getting started, clearly doing his best not to seem too excited and failing.

"It's kind of adorable when they're so excited about something, isn't it?"

Mary Jane blinked, slightly surprised at the sudden question, then smiled as Kate stepped up to her side. "At least this is vaguely normal teenage behavior. Get him started on some silly little gadget of his and he won't shut up no matter what." Which was still perfectly adorable, mind, for all that she sometimes was tempted to roll her eyes, just a little.

"You're telling me. I share my bed with a Stark, I know all about tech lovers."

"Yeah, I suppose I lose to you there." Mary Jane lifted her eyebrows as Kate leaned against the wall next to her. "You're not playing?"

"Nah. I mostly just play shooters, which I'm sure is a huge surprise. I'll just enjoy the cute enthusiasm for a while and then distract Tommy before he gets too bored and does something stupid and or destructive." She nodded over to where Tommy was quite busy setting up a controller for Noh-Varr but didn't seem to be claiming one for himself. "The screen's the latest tech available, so he probably could play if he wanted to without getting too much of a headache or just simply watching a slideshow, but a game that goes on everyone else's pace won't hold his interest for long. There's a reason all the rhythm games in the Tower are hacked to go far beyond the normal speed settings. Noh's a bit better about it, from what I understand his brain's closer to human speed, but for Tommy it's just not going anywhere."

"That must be tough." Not that she could probably even imagine what it was like, not having any superhuman abilities herself. It was just strange to even think that someone would perceive the world in such a different way.

"It's got its challenges. On the other hand, I always know that when he agrees to a movie night, it's genuinely just because he enjoys the company." There was a small, fond smile on Kate's face as she watched the two white-haired boys settling down on the floor in front of the TV next to Peter, May and Kitty having already reserved the couch while the boys were disagreeing about something.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" As Kate nodded, humming in agreement, Mary Jane shifted a bit. "How does it work? I mean, the three of you. I don't mean the technical parts," she hurried to add as Kate lifted an eyebrow at her. "Seriously, no. Just… how? How do you date two people at once?"

Kate was quiet for a moment, looking over to where the boys were bickering. "I love Tommy," she said at last, her tone pensive. "And I do love Noh, too. I didn't at first, when Tommy suggested it; I hardly knew him, after all, but Tommy liked him and I was willing to give him a shot. Honestly, I expected we'd just end up sharing Tommy. It was kind of a surprise to find myself falling in love with Noh as well."

"And you'd have been fine with that?" Mary Jane couldn't really help how small her voice was. "Sharing him, I mean?"

"I like to think so." Kate gave her a faint smile. "It's… well. Tommy said from the start that if it didn't work out, he'd choose me over Noh, but I never wanted to demand that of him. I know that for all his snark, he's got big enough a heart that he has more than enough love to spare for both of us. Noh connects with him on a level that I never could, and it's not just because of the speed. And while that might sound bad, it's nothing away from me. I'll see them talking together faster than I could ever hope to understand, eyes shining in excitement, and the next moment they're both turning to me, equally enthusiastic to share their latest ridiculous idea with me. I never really thought I'd lose Tommy's love, no matter what I said to his plea. I just never expected I'd stand to gain Noh's love, too."

"And you're never jealous or anything? I mean, seeing them together?"

"Not really, no. I think if I was a more jealous person, I would be, but again, I know it's not a loss for me. Tommy's been very careful not to neglect me from the start, so that helps, too. The weird thing is, I still do get jealous if someone else gets too flirty with either of them, but something like that?" She gestured over to where Tommy was currently draped all over Noh-Varr's back, trying to help him with the game but really being more of a hindrance. "That just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Or hot and bothered if things get any further, but that's another matter entirely." She smirked a bit as Mary Jane felt a slight flush rising to her cheeks.

"Ah. Right." She coughed a bit. "Um. Do you think you'd have agreed to it if you hadn't, you know, had an example of it? I mean, by the time Tommy found Noh-Varr, you already knew it could work, with Tony and Steve and Pepper. Did that help?"

"I guess? Not like I can actually know how I'd have acted in an alternate scenario, but it'd be weird if that didn't factor in on my decision. Though then, I'm not sure Tommy would have suggested it in the first place if he hadn't had that same example, either." She shook her head. "For a guy who makes me want to punch a wall at least once a day, he's surprisingly careful when he knows something is a big deal."

Mary Jane couldn't help a small smirk. "So he hasn't actually sold his emotions to the lowest bidder?"

Kate snorted. "Oh, he'd like you to think so, all right. Which is why he loves cuddles, is great with kids, and will beat up anyone who as much as looks at his brother the wrong way."

"He's good with kids?" The protectiveness Mary Jane had known about, and the cuddles she could believe, but that was something of a surprise.

"Yeah. He can never stop by Xavier's without playing with some of the little ones. I'd say it's partly because he can get a bit childish himself, but it's not just that. I've seen him sit down with utmost seriousness to have a pretend tea party with a bunch of teddy bears and a five-year-old. Not the most responsible babysitter, mind, in that he's just as likely to cause a mess as the kids are, but he does like children, and they seem to like him."

Now, Mary Jane couldn't help the hint of teasing that crept into her voice. "Good practice, then?"

Kate gave a slightly startled laugh as she caught the implication. "Hell, no. He'll be an uncle long before he's a daddy if it's up to me, and I'd like to think I have a rather significant say in the matter." Kate's lips twitched as her gaze slid over to where Billy and Teddy had shifted positions, heads close together as they talked quietly, comics forgotten for the moment. "Of course, if our dynamic duo is any indication, the uncle part might not be that far off at all."

"Considering I overheard a seemingly entirely serious conversation between Teddy and May about what it was like when she and Ben first took Peter in? I'd be very carefully considering the pros and cons of Aunt versus Auntie if I were you." Mary Jane hummed in thought. "I'd go with Auntie in your stead. Aunt Kate seems a bit too abrupt, don't you think?"

"You forget I'm living with both Tommy and Tony. I'll be lucky if the kid grows up only calling me Auntie Katie and not, say, Aunteye."

"Oh, please. As though I'd settle for anything less than Lady Kate from any brat." And all of a sudden Tommy was there, flashing them a grin before frowning. "Wait, what kid? There's a kid? Where? If it's in you, it wasn't me, I'm blaming Noh's hallucinogenic sperm for it."

"No reason to panic," Kate said with a wry tone, apparently not startled at all by his sudden appearance. "We were just discussing your brother's hypothetical future offspring."

"Oh, right, that." Tommy shrugged. "Not so hypothetical for long, anymore."

"Wait, what?" Now it was Kate's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Tommy grinned. "They're going to put in an application at the Foundation soon as we get back from here. Don't spread this around, but I heard someone put in a good word with the director, so they'll probably be put on the waiting list pretty soon." If Mary Jane hadn't believed Kate before about the whole liking children thing, the bright grin that took over Tommy's face at the idea of his brother adopting would have convinced her.

Then, however, something Tommy had said earlier sank in.

"Wait, I'm sorry. What did you say about hallucinogenic sperm, again?"

*

When Billy woke up, he wished he hadn't.

This was, unfortunate though it was, not a unique experience. There were several times he could remember waking up in a situation he would have rather not been in. Of course, most of those situations involved some combination of villains, unknown surroundings, and pain, while right now he just felt groggy and cold. Very, very cold.

He burrowed deeper under the covers, but the cold wouldn't leave him alone. It wasn't the unpleasant feeling of a draft sneaking into the bed, either, but a chilling sensation that seemed to start from his very bones. He found Teddy under the covers, pressing closer to the heat of his body, but even that didn't seem to get further than the very surface of his skin.

"Mmm… what?" Teddy's voice sounded muffled, somewhere above his head, but Billy couldn't bring himself to answer just now, anyway. All he cared about was getting closer to the heat of Teddy's chest, pressing close enough that the faint rumble of Teddy's voice through his chest transferred directly to Billy's body. "Billy?"

He made a small sound, now, or at least made a heroic attempt at it. All that came out was a faint whimper, which was indeed a good approximation of how he felt at the moment, but still didn't count as much in the way of communication. Clearly, the correct way of proceeding was to press even closer to Teddy.

"Billy?" A hand found his hair, sliding down to the back of his neck, nice and warm but not nearly enough. "God, you're burning up."

It certainly didn't feel like it, he was still freezing after all, but he doubted Teddy would have had any reason to lie. He did manage to squeak in protest as Teddy lifted the covers he was trying to hide under, but even that came out sounding hoarse.

"Oh, Billy." Teddy's hand was at the side of his face again. "You've got a fever. How are you feeling?" As Billy managed nothing but a grunt, an even deeper note of concern crept into Teddy's voice. "Your voice is gone?"

There really wasn't any way he could answer that, so Billy settled for a small nod. He almost instantly regretted this, as it made Teddy move away, ignoring Billy's whine or the hand reached out for him. Somehow he managed to bring himself to open his eyes, seeing Teddy get out of bed because he was a terrible, horrid person who obviously wanted Billy to suffer.

He'd just have to forgive the man his cruelty, though, as the next moment Teddy was returning with another blanket. He carefully rearranged Billy in the bed so he was lying properly, covered up to his chin under several layers of sheets and blankets. It didn't do much to chase off the coldness, but at least someone was doing something about his miserable circumstances.

"You must have caught some bug while we were at Xavier's," Teddy murmured as he fussed with the pillows. He was obviously worried, as he still hadn't bothered to put on anything beyond the underwear he'd been wearing to bed. Under most circumstances Billy would have relished this opportunity to ogle his perfect body, but right now it was taking a heroic effort just to keep his eyes open for more than a moment. "A couple of the kids were sick then, right? And all that time out in the cold yesterday must have let it get hold."

It sounded logical enough to his fever-addled mind, not that he much cared about where the sickness had come from. He'd have been much more interested in getting rid of it.

"Now, you just stay in bed, all right? I'll go see about getting you something warm to drink. That's good for a cold, right? Drinking lots of fluids, and you'll like it warm. I think?" Poor Teddy looked rather lost. Not that Billy could blame him, really. From what he had understood, Teddy hadn't ever actually had a cold, great strong Skrull immune system being quite enough defense against puny human bugs. Which was just utterly unfair, mind.

Billy managed a small, miserable sound, half-closed eyes following Teddy as he got some clothes on at last, still looking somewhat at a loss. Teddy came over to the bed again, then, running a hand through his hair to settle it down before he adjusted the covers around Billy again.

"I'll take care of you, all right?" Teddy's voice was soft and gentle, and Billy found his eyes falling shut again. "You just get some more rest and get better." There was a soft kiss on his forehead, and some movement, and then he heard Teddy walking away. A moment later there was the sound of the door, and shortly after muffled voices from the corridor. So someone else was awake, too.

Not that it mattered much. All he cared about was getting further under the covers in hopes of escaping the cold.

*

Someone was knocking on the window.

Steve would have liked to say this was an unusual occurrence, but that would have been quite dishonest. Their social circle seemed to include an ever increasing number of people who had no respect for such basic fundamentals as the laws of gravity, as Tony would have put it. Not that Tony himself had any right to speak, of course, flying around in a heavy hunk of metal as he did, but he still found the time to complain about everyone who did it in a manner not directly related to his own technology.

Well. There was Sam, wasn't there, but then Tony had taken it upon himself to improve on the wing design within five minutes of meeting the man, so that was something of a moot point.

Once again, however, there was someone knocking on the living room window that gave out to the balcony, without any sign of a helicopter or any other sensible way of reaching such heights. A familiar figure, too, though Steve wouldn't have called him a frequent visitor. With a glance at Tony, who seemed to be deeply engrossed in something on his tablet, he stood up from the couch and walked over.

"Nova." Steve nodded in greeting as he opened the door to the balcony. "Is something the matter?"

"Uh. Not really?" Nova stepped in as Steve made way for him, taking off his helmet. He seemed so very young underneath it, enough so that Steve was taken aback for a moment before he once again reminded himself that Spider-Man's team wasn't actually that much younger than their own youngest members. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd heard of anything going on. I mean, not that I'm hoping for bad things or anything, it's just…"

"Getting sick of the peace and quiet?" So Tony had noticed the arrival, even if he still didn't look up from his tablet. "Yeah, there was a part of me that was thinking that, but I told it to shut up before such complaints managed to summon some terrible world-ending calamity upon us. Seriously, though, you've only been out of school for a couple of days and you're bored already?"

"Yeah, well, there isn't exactly much to do on the helicarrier." Sam gave a small shrug. "There's only minimal crew around with everyone off doing the holidays thing, Ava's buried in her books, Luke dragged Danny off for what would probably be the weirdest holidays-with-in-laws ever if they'd bothered to actually tie the knot, and your kids dragged Peter off who knows where."

"Oh, right, there is that." Tony still didn't look up, swiping at something on the tablet instead. "You could have just gone with them, you know. There's room enough for one more brat, I'm sure."

"Oh, I'm sure. Except for, you know, the part where I wasn't invited?" There was something slightly awkward about the way Sam stood, now, holding his helmet close like it would keep him safe from some unmentioned threat.

"So? You could have just asked."

"Yeah, because that wouldn't be pathetic at all." The boy's shoulders sagged for a second before he tensed up, making a visible effort to keep his voice non-chalant. "Oh, hey guys, I know you're probably going to have a great time even without me, but could I tag along anyway since apparently there's nobody who'd care to spend the holidays with me?" He snorted, a harsh little sound that made something inside Steve sting. "Yeah, that wouldn't be embarrassing at all."

"Ah, right. There's that." Tony finally looked up from his tablet. "But now that you've actually asked, I'm sure we can think of something."

"Uh, in case you missed it, it's a bit too late for that." Sam gave a small shrug, expression carefully blank. "Seriously, it's no big deal. I'll be happy with just something to do before I get bored out of my skull."

"No, Tony's right, I'm sure we can think of something." Even if they hadn't been quite willing to do something for the boy himself, the fleeting flicker of pain on Tony's face at Sam's self-deprecating words would have convinced Steve. Tony would have known all about spending the holidays on his own, wouldn't he. "I'm sure we can think of something that needs to get taken over there, a belated Christmas present perhaps."

Tony nodded in agreement. "We can call them up and have Billy open a portal, and then you can take something through and announce it's a surprise or something. Just say you got bored, God knows the boys have done stranger things when they found things a bit dull. Nobody's going to think any worse of you for it."

"Except you two, now that I went and opened my big mouth." Even so, there was something heartbreakingly hopeful in Sam's eyes that simply strengthened Steve's resolve to find some way to get him over to the cabin.

"Kid, I spent seventy years in ice. Trust me when I say I know a thing or two about loneliness, and there's nothing pathetic about it." Steve set a hand on Sam's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I'd find it rather odd if someone as easily social as you wasn't bothered by the thought of spending the holidays all alone."

"So, uh. You think that would be all right?" And again that painfully hopeful, earnest look that made Steve feel like a heel for not bothering to ask if there might have been any more people who would have liked to go along. He knew there had been no intentional slight in the kids' choice of company for the trip, Peter's bunch had been invited because Tommy was hoping to convince him to join his little company and they had taken a somewhat protective stance towards Kitty since the attack against Xavier's, but it just wasn't right that someone so clearly in need of company had been left out.

"Oh, sure. We'll think of some excuse and nobody need ever know. You won't find me judging anyone else's lack of social graces any time soon." Tony waved his hand, dismissing the whole ordeal as nothing much, then frowned all of a sudden. "Wait. Sam?"

"Uh, yes?" The boy blinked in confusion.

"No, not you." Tony set his tablet aside at last, standing up. "That's Falcon, right?"

Steve turned to look, likewise seeing the familiar figure of Falcon settling down on the balcony. The older Sam wasn't dallying, striding right towards the open door as soon as he landed, barely taking the time to fold his wings away.

"Sam!" Steve was about to go for a happy greeting when he saw the serious look on the man's face, and frowned. "What happened?" Clearly something had, or he would not look like that.

"I need your help." Sam glanced at Tony and his younger namesake before focusing his gaze on Steve. He was close enough now that the tension in his expression was plain as day. "Someone has taken Eli."


	3. Birds Flying Low

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam tries to convince Steve and Tony that the situation is bad, while Eli doesn't need any convincing, being very aware of his situation. Of course, once they get some actual proof of just how bad things are turning out to be, it's not just Sam and Eli who should be worried.
> 
> Meanwhile, Billy is sick. He doesn't particularly enjoy being sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah. My apologies for taking so very long! First, RL and another fic got in the way, and then, well, I saw AoU...
> 
> Let's hope the next update doesn't take quite so long?

"Let's get this straight." Steve was in full-on Captain mode, standing to attention while a frantic Falcon paced around the living room. Tony had set his tablet away, figuring this required his full attention, while Nova stood to the side, very clearly working hard to look nonchalant. "Eli and you were visiting his grandparents. You headed home first and he was supposed to follow, but he never made it home?"

"Yes. Well, no, not entirely." Falcon paused in his pacing, sighing as he ran a hand over his scalp. "I stopped at a store on the way home, so really I thought he'd be there before me. When I got home to an empty place I figured he'd stayed longer than he meant to. He wouldn't answer his phone, so I called Faith instead — his grandmother," he added, probably for Tony's and Nova's benefit, seeing how Steve was nodding along. Then, Steve was the one who had actually met Eli's grandparents more than once. "However, Faith said he'd left not long after me. With how long I was at the store, he definitely should have been home by the time I got there."

"But he wasn't, and he still wouldn't answer his phone." Steve nodded, a frown on his face. "You're right, that does sound worrying."

"I'm guessing it's not possible his phone just ran out of battery." Nova's words seemed light enough, but the look on his face was as worried as Steve's."

"No, it's ringing, it's just not picking up." Falcon looked rather distressed, not that Tony could blame the man. "And even if he had it on silent, it's been hours now. Never mind that he should have been home ages ago, but he'd have definitely checked his phone by now."

"And why do you think this means someone has taken him?" Tony couldn't help but speak up now, even if he had nothing pleasant to say. "By which I presume you mean someone took him to use him against you, that is, Falcon. I mean, this isn't going to help, I'll admit that, but what if he just, I don't know, got beaten up and had his phone stolen? Not an ideal scenario, I'll grant you, but frankly it seems more likely than someone snatching a grown man off the street."

He might have expected denial, or distress. Instead, all this theory gained him were two identical skeptical gazes from Steve and Sam and a puzzled look from the younger Sam.

"What did I say now?" He had to have said something, for both Cap and Falcon to be looking at him like that. "I mean, I know you are worried about him and I get that, honestly I do, hardly a day goes by that I don't worry about the danger I'm putting Pepper in just by being me and hanging around her. But seriously, not everything in life comes back to superheroes. He's, what, a bookstore clerk? No offense to him or anything, but that won't exactly fill your average New York street thug with dread."

"Eli is working in a bookstore now, yes." Falcon shook his head. "When we met, though, he'd just come back from a tour overseas. Which is not to say he couldn't be taken by surprise or something, but frankly, between the kind of people who usually frequent the streets in broad daylight and my ex-marine husband, I don't think I'm too biased if I say I'd put my money on Eli."

"Okay. Right. That's, that's a fairly good point, actually." Tony nodded. "Not irrefutable proof, mind yo, but it's a good point in the favor of your theory."

"That's not all of it, though." Falcon sighed. "I — when I got home, something felt off. I couldn't quite put a finger on it, but I could swear someone had been there."

"Oh?" Steve was immediately alert. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it wasn't anything obvious, no broken windows or forced locks or anything. Just, I'm pretty sure a couple of things weren't exactly where we'd left them."

"And I suppose you're sure Eli didn't move them when you weren't watching." Tony didn't bother to make his statement into a question. Falcon didn't strike him as the type to get paranoid over nothing.

"I've grown to trust my instincts. No time for too much thinking when you're in the air. Not all of us have AIs to steer for us, you know."

"Which seems to me like an utterly ridiculous oversight, but I suppose you have something of a point." Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay. So. His phone, is it the one I asked you to pass along?"

Falcon nodded. "The one you said was compatible with your systems, whatever that means?"

"Great! Then I can track it unless something really strange has happened. Or unless there's magic involved, which I really hope isn't the case. Of course, that won't do much good if the phone isn't with him anymore, but we've got to try at least, don't you think?"

"Right." Another nod, which Tony supposed was the best he could expect. "Anything we can do in the meantime?"

"Go look for clues?" Hey, it made sense to him. "At your place, I mean. If your gut feeling is right, you could find some indication of who's been there. Take Cap along, and maybe Sam Junior if he feels like it. I'm sure you can handle any potential bad guy appearances between the three of you."

"Sounds like a plan." Steve nodded. "We'll also see if Clint or Natasha is around, I'm sure they'd be excellent at looking for any such clues. And you'll work on the tracking in the meantime?"

"Exactly. Well, JARVIS will be doing most of the work, it's not like he needs me to hold his immaterial hand, but I'll be keeping an eye on how things develop. Just tell me if you find out anything, I'll keep you posted on JARVIS's project, and maybe see about mobilizing others if it looks like the situation calls for it."

This got quick agreements, and the three headed off as Tony picked up his tablet again and started giving instructions to JARVIS. This at least was familiar ground. This, he knew how to do.

Even if he would be having nightmares of Pepper disappearing for ages after this.

*

Eli's head was killing him.

Now, he was no stranger to unpleasant wake-up calls. This certainly wasn't the first time he woke up aching, or even the first time he had no clear memory of how and when he had lost his consciousness. However, the previous instances had been in rather more logical circumstances, and not when his last memory was walking home from his grandparents' place.

No, not quite the walking. His last memory, fuzzy though it was, was an arm closing around him from behind while a hand pressed a cloth over his face. A strong arm, as he remembered, not budging a bit as he tried to struggle away. Not many people were quite that unflappable, certainly not for a prolonged time, as it had taken a moment for the rag — chloroform? Probably — to take effect.

So he'd become a typical movie-style dude in distress. Wonderful. At least he supposed it explained the headache.

For a second, he did wonder if this had to do with Sam. It wasn't his proudest moment, but then, it wasn’t all that unthinkable either. Falcon wasn't the most high-profile hero out there, not even after a couple of times of appearing alongside the Avengers, but he did have his enemies. Everyone who made a point of getting involved in other people's business had enemies, and the people Falcon dealt with weren't exactly the type to send around flowers and chocolates. And, really, it wasn't like Eli had never feared that the work might follow him home. He just had never thought he would end up playing the part of a hostage to be rescued.

No. This wasn't supposed to happen because of Falcon, damn it. Sam kept his identity secret precisely so Eli would never have to deal with this. He went to a great deal of trouble to make sure of that, even when it meant someone else taking the credit for what he did, and Eli had always trusted him when he had told him he was being careful. He couldn't let this be because of Falcon, or Sam would never forgive himself.

Heh. Obviously he had his priorities straight.

Fighting a wave of nausea as he sat up, Eli started to take stock of his surroundings. He wasn't restrained in any particular manner, but had apparently been pretty much thrown in a corner. Either his captors were very foolish, or very confident. Neither was necessarily a good thing. The room he was in was large, some sort of a rustic cabin type of thing, with snow covering the outside of the couple of windows he could see. The furniture was sparse and utilitarian, with nothing that could be seen as personal effects, save for a bag dumbed next to a wall at the other side of the room. There were a couple of doors leading out of the room, with one being of clearly heavier make than the rest.

Clearly, he had his first goal. He'd be damned if he just sat here and waited for rescue.

Standing up was another struggle, and he had to struggle to keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged. After a moment to gather himself, though, he managed to walk across the room, slow, careful steps so as not to tempt the dizziness still lingering along with the splitting headache. Every so often he paused, listening for any sounds. There was nothing besides his own breathing, snow no doubt muffling any sounds from the outside. Wasn't that just so very comforting.

He half expected the door to be locked somehow, but was relieved to find that it opened easily enough. For a moment he almost felt triumphant at his easy escape, pushing the door open to prepare for a run. What he saw on the other side was an expanse of white, with a heavy covering of snow on the ground with howling wind driving more across the landscape at dizzying speeds.

Well. Clearly he wasn't in the Big Apple anymore.

Eli wasn't sure how long he stood in the doorway, frozen almost in a literal sense as his clothes, sensible though they were for the cold city winter, weren't quite enough to shield him from the freezing winds. What brought him back was a voice from behind him, accompanied by heavy footsteps.

"I wouldn't if I were you." The voice was rough, accent indistinct. Something about it sent shivers down his spine. "I wouldn't even bother to shoot, you'd freeze to death anyway."

Slowly, Eli turned around to face what had to be his captor. What he found was a man standing some five feet behind him, just far enough to be out of reach. A white man, with unkempt dark hair, his age difficult to tell due to the mask that covered the lower half of his face. He was dressed all in black, aside from his left arm, which appeared to be covered with some kind of metal. Tall with broad shoulders, a soldier's bearing, a gun held in his hand in that casual manner of one who knows damn well how to do damage with it and isn't too careful about the target.

"Who are you?" And why was he asking questions that probably wouldn't get answered?

"That's none of your concern." The man gestured with his gun. "Close the door."

It wasn't like Eli had any real choice here, really. Somewhat reluctantly, he stepped back, pulling the door closed behind himself. "Why have you taken me?"

"To serve a purpose." And what was this, let's be obvious day? "I don't need to kill you as long as you serve that purpose."

"You sure know how to talk to a guy." But, hey, he would take what he could get. "So what is it I'm supposed to do?"

"Talk." Right before Eli could claim to know nothing worthwhile, or perhaps make some defiant and foolish declaration of how he would remain silent, the man pulled something out of his pocket and held it out. Something terribly familiar.

"That's — that's my phone." It had to be, right? It was his, right down to the Captain America shield sticker he had stuck on the flip case to easily tell it apart from Sam's similar one.

"Exactly." The man's voice was still rough, as though it didn't get used much. "I will give you this phone, and you will call your partner. Any ideas you get about getting tricky, remember I have a gun pointed at you."

"Right." Eli frowned. "What do you want with Sam?" Please let him not know about Falcon. Sam would never forgive himself if this was about Falcon.

"By now, he will have made contact with Steve Rogers." Well. That was… not what he had expected. Also probably even worse than this being about Falcon. Scratch that, definitely worse than this being about Falcon. Whatever enemies Falcon had made were nothing compared with the ones who had a beef against Captain America. "When your partner answers, you will ask if Rogers is there. If he is, tell him to put the phone to speakers. If not, end the call."

That just seemed… overly complicated. "I do have Steve's number as well, you know."

"His phone will be compromised." Right. Because of course Cap would have the latest and greatest Stark industries could offer.

"And when he does put the call on speaker phone?" Because clearly there was a plan going on.

"Then you read this." A card was shoved towards him, full of scratchy but thankfully legible handwriting. "No improvisation. Go one word off the script, and I blow your brains out before you finish the sentence."

"Understood." Dual purposes, he realized. This would get the man's demands through, and proved that Eli was still alive. More importantly, it meant nobody at the other end of the line would know the man's voice, since he didn't need to talk.

Which meant that Eli, who had heard his voice, was a liability.

Well. It wasn't like he was going to get out of this unscathed either way. The least he could do was get a chance to listen to Sam's voice just once more.

With a deep breath, he made the call.

*

It wasn't the first time that Steve was glad to have Natasha on hand. There were many times she had saved him and others from bad situations, more than once that she had directly saved his life. However, right now he was especially glad that he had Natasha and not someone else at his side as they went up the stairs towards Sam's apartment, Sam at the front and Nova trailing after them. If anyone knew how to sweep a place for evidence of anything suspicious, it was Natasha.

It also helped that he knew even without asking that she was armed. Then, he wasn't sure she even bathed unarmed. He did have a weapon on him, the shield being rather too recognizable in public, and Sam was likewise armed, with Nova carrying his helmet in a backpack they had hastily borrowed from Tommy's room. Even so, the thought of the Black Widow being at his side if anything unexpected happened was a calming one.

Calm was good. He needed calm right now.

None of them was in uniform, not wanting to attract attention from curious neighbors; after all, Sam would still have to live his normal, civilian life once this situation had been resolved, hopefully for the best. Natasha was taking the opportunity to tease him about what he and Tony and Pepper were getting up to with the younger generation out of the way, with Nova adding in the occasional quip. No actual names were mentioned, and Sam was silent, but it was an ordinary enough interaction that he hoped they didn't draw too much attention on their way to Sam's apartment.

Of course, as soon as they were inside the door, the atmosphere changed. Nova dug out his helmet without a word, hovering above the floor as the rest of them drew their weapons. No one said a word as Sam took the lead, knowing the place the best, directing the rest of them with sharp hand motions and nods.

They soon confirmed the apartment clear of any extra occupants, reconvening in the small kitchen. This time Steve stepped up. "Natasha, you look for any kind of bugs or other surveillance equipment. Sam, double-check for anything that might be out of place. Nova, you're on Natasha, I'll cover Sam. Nobody goes anywhere alone." Perhaps it was too much, but he wasn't going to take any risks here. Someone had been taken already. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

The apartment wasn't big, and it didn't take them long to cover it all, even thorough as they had been. As they gathered again, Sam shook his head. "I'm still fairly sure some things have been touched, but nothing that seems significant. I can't even guarantee I didn't just move them myself when I was looking for clues earlier."

"It was a long shot anyway, if Eli was taken on the way." Steve nodded. "Natasha?"

"Not as hopeless, but this isn't good." She was frowning. "I didn't find anything. Nothing right now, that is."

"But?" Because clearly there was a but.

"But I did find evidence that there used to be something." Natasha paused. "Well. Evidence of evidence."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Nova tilted his head to the side. "Wouldn't that just be evidence?"

"It's not that simple." She shook her head. "See, you leave a bug or something similar in an out of the way spot, it's going to leave a mark in the dust when you take it away, no matter how careful you are. You can't just put dust back, so the only way to mask that is to wipe the entire surface clean. No offense, Falcon, but I'm going to assume neither you nor Eli are in the habit of dusting inside lampshades or behind books. Something was there and removed recently, and really the only thing that makes sense is some kind of surveillance equipment."

"So someone's been keeping an eye on us. Or an ear, whatever." Sam nodded slowly. "That would explain it. We definitely discussed our plans to visit his grandparents often enough for someone to pick up on it."

"Exactly. So we can probably assume that whatever is going on, it has been planned for a while." Natasha gave Sam a thin-lipped look. "Sorry for not being much comfort."

"I'm going to remain hopeful until I get a finger in the mail, thanks." Sam looked like he was about to say something else, but just then, his phone started to ring. Taking it out of his pocket he glanced at the screen, and his eyes widened. "It's — it's Eli."

That got all of their attention. Steve quickly dug out his own phone, dialing Tony's number. This was probably something people needed to be updated on.

"Eli?" Sam clutched the phone to his ear as though it were his only hope of safety. "Eli, what is — what?" He blinked, glancing at Steve for some reason. "Yes, he is, but why —"

Something else was said, too quiet for Steve to actually catch the words from the other side of the room. Sam drew a deep breath, then took the phone off his ear and pressed the screen a couple of times. Then he set the phone on the counter next to him, motioning for the rest of them to get closer.

"Right. You're on speaker, Eli. Steve's right here."

"That's right." Steve stepped closer, the phone with the now open line to Tony in his hand. Something about this was very wrong, and he needed to know what. "Did you have something to tell me?"

When Eli spoke, his voice was thin with tension, though somehow it did not waver. His words had the slightly monotonous quality of being read off a paper. "Captain America. This is a message from the Winter Soldier." Natasha tensed at Steve's side. Clearly the name meant something to her. "I have been given the task of killing you. To that end, I have taken the grandson of the first prototype."

Isaiah. Steve closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself before he opened them again. As though the poor man hadn't suffered enough already because of the Super Soldier project.

"I am authorized to make additional kills, but only your death is required for the mission to be successful. I will keep the bait alive as long as the battery on this phone lasts. I know you have the means to track it, and will expect you at this location soon. If you are late, or fail to arrive, the bait's life is forfeit."

It was probably a good thing Sam had set the phone down. With the way his fists were clenched now, he would have broken it otherwise.

"Keep this line clear. If I try to call and the line is busy, that will be a sign you forfeit the bait. If I have to dispose of the bait, I will take another." And finally, Eli's voice wavered, just a bit, though he did make it to the end.

Steve did not have time to answer — did not have time to hold down his building rage — as the line cut off. For a moment, they all stared at the phone as the screen indicated the call over.

Slowly, Steve lifted his own phone to his ear, his other hand reaching for Sam's shoulder. It was shaking under his touch. "Did you hear that, Tony?"

"Loud and clear." There was no humor in Tony's voice. He was all business, now. "Already setting up tracking. Also, I will have people pick up Eli's grandparents, as well as check in on everyone else associated with us. I'll call back anyone not at the Tower or at Xavier's. Those two places we can assume are safe."

"Right." Steve swallowed. Bait. What kind of a person actually called their hostage bait? "Get the jet ready as well. We'll fly in as soon as we have a direction."

"Will do. You finish up over there and get your asses back to the Tower. We have no idea where this guy is, we're not taking any extra risks."

"We're working on it." Steve glanced at Natasha, who was wearing a look of determination. "Check up on any SHIELD files on this Winter Soldier. I get the feeling they might have something." To this, Natasha gave an almost imperceptible nod. Well. Perhaps he wouldn't need to wait until the files.

"I've had JARVIS on that ever since I heard the name." Tony paused for a moment. "You do realize this is a trap, right? Like, he couldn't have made it any more clear."

"Of course I do. But you know I have no choice but to go." Not with Eli there. He would not risk Eli for his own safety, would not risk losing even more people to this madman.

"I know." Tony sighed, a quiet sound he almost didn't catch. "You'd better come out on top, Steve. I'm damn well not explaining to the kids why I let Daddy die while they were out having a vacation."

"I'll do my best." It was the most he could promise. "Call me if there's anything new?"

"Sure. You do the same." Another pause, longer this time. "Be careful."

"Always." Which probably wasn't as truthful as Tony would have liked it to be, but again, it was the best he could offer. He waited a second, then ended the call, glancing around. Sam was still staring at the phone, looking broken, while Nova and Natasha were both looking at Steve with grim expressions. "So. What do we have?"

"Winter Soldier." Natasha's voice was quiet and calm as always, but with an undercurrent of something akin to worry. "An assassin trained by the Red Room in the Soviet Union. It's unclear whether he is one man or a codename, though the number and time span of his kills suggests the latter. It's said that once he has a target, he will not stop at anything until the target has been eliminated."

"You sound like you have some experience with him." Which probably shouldn't have surprised him.

"I was once tasked with protecting someone he was targeting." Natasha's expression didn't change, but Steve suspected it was close. "He still eliminated his target."

"I suppose I don't have to ask about his skills, then." He glanced at Sam. This wasn't a question he wanted to ask, but then, he knew Sam wouldn't have appreciated being lied to. "Ah. How is he when dealing with…" No. He couldn't say it.

"Witnesses? Or bait?" Clearly, Natasha had no such compunctions. "Mostly, he doesn't care. Once he has his target, he will return to base and not bother with anyone who doesn't obstruct his way. I was left alive, and some of his hits have been in very public locations. As long as Eli doesn't cause trouble, he has every chance of surviving this."

"Except there is no way Eli will allow himself to be used as bait like this." Sam's voice was soft, a mix of exasperation and fear and fierce love and pride, all blended together into one note of despair.

"This guy's not right in the head." Nova almost wavered as all three adults looked at him at once, but he didn't back down. "No, I mean it, and not just because of the killer part. See, this is clearly planned, right? Not just a spur of the moment thing? He's studied you, knew who might be important but isn't as protected as those in the Tower, knew how to contact you even. He had that speech written out and had his hostage read it out."

"Right." Steve frowned. "Except all that only indicates a lack of certain morals, not necessarily of sanity." However often one was linked with the other.

"Except he slipped up." Nova looked at Sam. "At first, when you were talking to him. He asked you if Steve was here, right?"

Sam nodded. "Right. And after that he asked me to put it on speaker phone."

"That doesn't line up, though." Nova shook his head. "If he had Eli ask about Steve, that means he couldn't have known who you were with. Why then would he want the speaker? If he just wanted Steve dead, his best bet would be to get him on the phone alone, probably make some threats about how he can't tell anyone the details or Eli will pay. By putting it on speaker he can't control who hears it, and he knows Falcon at least will. On top of that there weren't even any demands about Cap coming alone. It's basically guaranteed that instead of just Cap showing up, he'll get a visit from a whole team of supers."

"He might not know about Falcon, though." Steve frowned. "He wouldn't expect me to let a civilian come along, so with the time limit, I might not have time to assemble a team."

"Bullshit. There's no way he wouldn't know about Falcon if he's watched these two for any amount of time." It was Natasha who refuted him, crossing her arms over her chest. "The kid is right. This is not an optimal move if he wants a guaranteed kill. Even if he is confident he can take out any amount of enemies, having you alone would provide the ideal chances for a successful mission."

"What is he after, then? He can't just be looking for more specific targets. He has no way of controlling who I might take along."

"Well, it could just be that he's getting a bit unhinged. Which, really not a good thing, but might possibly work in our favor." Nova gave a small shrug. "Worst case scenario? He's going for suicide by superhero and doesn't care who he takes with him."

Sam's fists clenched just a bit tighter. "And where exactly are you pulling all this analysis from?"

"Mostly? I watch a lot of crime shows with May. She likes the grisly ones, I'm there to take the blame if Peter wanders in and asks why she would watch such a thing." Nova shrugged. "Hey, I never said I was an expert. Just that this guy's actions really don't line up." He paused, then looked at Sam. "Wait. Are we certain Eli isn't the Winter Soldier?"

Sam's eyes narrowed. Steve almost interfered, but he figured this was still better than having him give in to despair. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Just checking!" Nova threw his hands up in front of him. "That'd be a terrible plot twist, mind."

"Also completely unnecessary." Natasha was already returning to her sweep of the place, eyes darting around as she spoke. "If Eli wanted Steve dead, he'd have much easier ways to do it than staging a kidnapping plot that will draw attention to him and more or less necessitate getting rid of Sam if he wants to avoid being revealed. The Winter Soldier is better than that."

"Thanks for having faith in my husband." Sam's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I don't know him, I can't have an actual informed opinion on him. Sure, you like him, but that kind of emotion can often blind us to the actual flaws." Natasha shrugged. "Why are you complaining? I just explained why he can't be the Winter Soldier, based partly on the assumption that he holds enough affection for you not to want you dead."

"You sure know how to appeal to a guy's heart." Steve could practically see Sam steeling himself before he straightened himself and slowly exhaled, some of the tension escaping him. "Right. We got a plan?"

"We finish up here and head to the Tower. Tony's started the trace, and we'll fly out as soon as we know where to go." He nodded at Sam. "I'm assuming you want to be included."

"I'd like to see you stop me." There was a cold look in Sam's eyes that Steve had seen before. It was the look of a man who had lost too much to be afraid anymore.

Had he not been so angry himself, he might have almost felt sorry for the Winter Soldier.

*

"What are you reading?"

Billy looked up as he felt someone settle into the bed beside him, frowning as he saw Teddy sitting next to him, so very close. Teddy must have read the disapproval on his face, yet he merely smiled.

"Oh, don't look like that. Clearly I'm too mighty for your puny Earth bugs." Had Billy been in possession of a proper voice, he might have been tempted to let Teddy hear just what he thought of the might of the Skrull, but then Teddy's tone was one of teasing so he supposed it'd just have to be forgiven. "Isn't that one of the books you got from Asgard?"

Billy nodded even as he set the book down, rubbing at his eyes with one hand. It was indeed one of the books on magic he had been gifted by Odin — or someone known as Odin, in any case, which he supposed was the closest he could get to the truth. He had brought it along in hopes of perhaps getting some studying done, and now found it a good way to deal with the inevitable boredom of being ill, as he rather found he could not sleep the entire day away, no matter how unwell he was feeling. Too bad it also gave him a headache, no doubt because it was written in some kind of runes he could not actually read yet he found he understood anyway.

"Here, let me take that." Teddy slid the book away from his lap, not that Billy was going to protest. He closed his eyes instead, trying to will the headache to go away. However, that seemed as useless as telling his sickness to disappear. Bringing his arms back under the covers as well, he listened to the soft sounds of Teddy shifting on the bed, running his fingertips along the page.

It was quiet, as quiet as it was ever going to be around their group, anyway. If he listened closely he could hear sounds from the rest of the house, Tommy getting excited about something by the sounds of it, could hear the wind blowing ice and snow outside. Right here, though, there was nothing but Teddy and him, calm breaths and calmer presence, and if he hadn't been feeling so very miserable he probably would have enjoyed it.

"Do you want me to read to you?"

Slightly surprised at the question, Billy opened his eyes to peer at Teddy. He found Teddy smiling down at him, all warm and loving and Teddy, and he somehow managed a nod in return before burrowing deeper under the covers.

Teddy started reading then, calm and steady as though he had been reading a goodnight story to a child rather than the particulars of using a magic circle to channel the power of one mage into the works of another, while Billy closed his eyes again and focused on the words washing over him. It was comforting and familiar, warm even though he still couldn't stop feeling cold, and all he wanted was for this moment to never end.

He wasn't sure when he drifted off, but it was to the sound of Teddy's voice nevertheless.


	4. Any Port in a Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers prepare for a mission, or what few of them are available, anyway. Eli takes the opportunity to flee, though he might have just made the wrong choice between the frying pan and the fire. Tommy is doing kind of okay at this whole spending time with friends thing, until someone knocks on the door without a warning and turns everything into chaos.

Steve sighed, running a hand over his hair. "I'm really not comfortable with taking you along on this mission, Nova."

"It's kind of cute how you think you have an actual choice." They were back at the Tower again, currently standing in an elevator, with Nova hugging the backpack with his helmet like a stuffed toy. Steve could sympathize, he really could, his hands were itching for his shield right now. "I'm willing to bet I can pace your jet, and I can definitely withstand any external obstacles the jet can. And besides, you don't actually want to tell me no."

"And what makes you think that?"

"You need everyone you can get on short notice." Nova shook his head. "From what I've heard so far, this guy isn't someone you can sic ordinary SHIELD goons at, you need people who are at least somewhat super. Except Wiccan isn't here to magic people around, and you want to set off as soon as you have a direction, so you have to make do with who you have at hand. Besides, someone needs to stay here to coordinate stuff and be on hand in case something goes down closer to home, which is probably going to be Iron Man since you're obviously going. Which means you need firepower, and having more fliers isn't exactly a bad thing."

"Except you missed the part where this is a potentially very lethal mission."

"You think I haven't dealt with potential lethality before?" He shrugged, now. "I know SHIELD doesn't put us on the worst missions, those are all yours, but sometimes stuff gets out of hand really quick, and sometimes the threats come to us instead of the other way around. I've risked my life for worse things than rescuing a hostage from a murderous madman. Besides, I'd like to think all supers have something of a vested interest in discouraging the bad guys from involving civilian loved ones."

"Even so, I don't feel good about involving someone your age in a mission like this."

"I've spoken with your kids. They dealt with stuff worse than this younger than I am now. Which, yeah, maybe wasn't agreed on by you, but is still a fact." Nova clutched his backpack a little tighter. "Besides, this helmet isn't just fancy headgear. Wearing it is a responsibility in itself. And yeah, I realize 'tried to argue with Captain America' won't look good on my eventual Avengers membership application, but honestly trying to keep me out of this is just stupid."

"I hate to say this, Cap, but the kid is right." Sam didn't quite look at Steve from where he was leaning against the wall of the elevator. "And yeah, I realize I'm probably biased here, seeing how I really, really want Eli rescued, but his arguments do make sense. He has enough experience with shitty situations to make the call on whether he wants to participate, and if he really wants to go you can't actually stop him from doing so."

"I still don't have to like it." Steve sighed. "It is true that we need all the firepower we can get, though. So, fine. If we get a direction before we get enough of a team together, you can come along."

"Right." Nova nodded, his expression perfectly serious. Well, at least he wasn't taking this too lightly. "I'm not a total beginner, you know. I've worked with a team before."

"Oh, I know. Doesn't mean I'm going to be any happier about taking more people along to meet a guy who wants to kill me." He should have worried about that, really, should have been afraid for his life. Instead, he focused on the thought of getting Eli out of this whole mess. It was much better for his own peace of mind, and certainly made him more efficient than if he'd spent his time panicking.

"Tough, because I don't see many people giving you a choice." Natasha didn't look up from her phone. "Clint and Phil are on their way back. Clint will come along if we're still here when they arrive, but says to go on without him if we get a direction first. I agree, really; right now we shouldn't waste any time."

"Right." Steve nodded. "Calling the kids in probably won't help much. From what I understand, Billy's portals get unpredictable when he's trying to go somewhere he doesn't know."

"It'd be useless anyway." At last she put her phone away, giving him a direct gaze. "There's a storm where they're staying that's messing with cell phone signals, so just getting a call through is next to impossible, but Kate got a text through to Clint this morning. Apparently Billy's in bed with a bad cold and can't speak, and the snow's too thick even for the speedsters to get through. Even if we could alert them, they'd have no way to get here."

Steve frowned. That didn't sound good at all. "Are we sure they're all right?"

"According to Tony the panic button has a strong enough signal it'll definitely get here if it's pressed, so at least they don't think there's anything alarming going on." Natasha shook her head. "They'll be fine, we just can't count them in our numbers, even if I do think this is dire enough a situation it'd justify calling them back."

"Right." At last the elevator came to a stop, and Steve strode out as soon as the doors opened. "Tony. What's the situation?"

"Situating." Tony didn't turn his head from the various screens he had up on the living room windows. "Can't get through to the kids, JARVIS tells me there's a snow storm going on in the area, so I'm not too worried. The reception's pretty spotty out there anyway, so with a lot of snow in the air it's no wonder I can't get through. Everyone else of importance is responding. I sent out a car to get Eli's grandparents, gave them a simplified version of the situation for now. Xavier's seems safe but they'll up the security, nobody's leaving until they get the all clear. Fantastic Four are all accounted for and prepared to handle any threats that come up, and SHIELD knows we won't be answering calls for now. Thor can handle himself, and everyone else is either at Xavier's or on their way here."

"Excellent." He nodded. Tony was frighteningly efficient when he set his mind to something, for all that he sometimes didn't seem like it. "And the trace?"

"Should be locking in any moment now." Tony gestured towards his largest screen. "I'm assuming you want me to stay here."

"Someone has to coordinate things. And if something happens, you're the best equipped to protect the Tower."

"And I'd be a liability. The guy is already kidnapping your acquaintances, and it's hardly a secret that we're involved." Tony must have seen Steve's surprise on his face, because he snorted. "I'm not entirely convinced of my invulnerability, you know. And even if he didn't get his hands on me, we'll hardly want you worrying about the chance that he might. No, I'll stay home like a good little boyfriend, look after the house and cheer you on." He shook his head. "Just remember that if things get rough, I can and will fly right after you."

"Duly noted." Steve nodded again. "Right. I'll go gear up. Natasha, Sam, Nova, you should do the same. We'll be taking the quinjet, so we're wheels up soon as we have a direction."

Natasha disappeared to get her own gear, while Nova lingered, not truly needing more than his helmet to be ready. Steve hurried off to get his proper uniform and other equipment, still finishing the last straps as he returned.

"Tony?" There was a strange look on Tony's face as he stared at one of the screens, hardly even noticing Steve's approach. The other three were waiting, standing around in various states of restlessness. "Tony, you have something." He didn't bother to ask.

"I do, yes." Tony sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "But you won't like this, just so you know."

Steve nodded. "Just tell me."

"I think I've located Eli's phone. The general area at least, there's kind of interference out and about, but I've got a direction for you." Tony paused. "Which would be good, except it's really, really not. From what I can tell, it's within walking distance from where the kids are staying. Not even super assassin on a mission walking distance, either. We're talking about 'kids take a walk for fun' close."

"Isn't that good, though?" Sam frowned. "I mean, I know you keep calling them kids, but they're adults, right? And full members of the team. Doesn't this mean you can call them and they could be there before even we get there, or provide backup?"

"Sure, assuming I could call them. Except I can't, because snow storm, remember? Be prepared for that when flying in, by the way, but either way we can't get a word in unless they have their comm pieces there and are wearing them, and even then it'll only work once you're practically on top of them. And to top it all off, they've got several civilians with them, including minors. So instead of convenient back-up we might have a sitting duck situation in our hands."

"That's not good, no." Steve tried not to get too worried. Not just yet. There was far too much to worry about already. "Are we sure they haven't made contact yet?"

"I don't think so. I may not be able to get signal from their phones, but the panic button has its own system that should be strong enough to get through a bit of a weather disturbance. We'd know if they were in trouble."

"Fair enough." Steve nodded. "Can the quinjet take the storm?"

"Shouldn't be too much of a problem, not with an experienced pilot at least. Getting back up is another matter entirely, but you can worry about that later." Tony clicked his tongue. "Also, when you get closer, you should be able to get a more accurate reading on his phone; the jet has more than enough hardware to pick up the tracer signal, storm or no. I'll keep working on it as well, but there's only so much I can do from here."

"Right. The plane's ready to take off?"

"Walk in and JARVIS and I'll handle the rest." Tony paused, then stepped close enough to steal a quick kiss. "Don't get killed, all right?"

"I'll try and avoid it." It was the best he could promise, anyway. Returning home was never something they could guarantee, even when he didn't have a master assassin at his heels.

It was selfish of him to be glad that Tony would stay safe, particularly as Sam was there, right beside him as they took at a half-run toward the quinjet, but right now, it was just about the only thing that kept him from giving in to fear.

*

This guy was unstable.

Honestly, this should have worried Eli more than it did. Clearly his chances of getting out of this mess alive were getting worse with every sign that the man holding him captive was less than sane. However, he hadn't been too hopeful of such chances to begin with. Someone like this wasn't going to want to leave any witnesses behind, not if they could give any useful information. The instability made him more dangerous in the short term, sure, if it made him lose his temper, but it also meant he might make mistakes. And from the looks of it, a mistake might be the only way for Eli to get out of this mess alive.

He knew it couldn't have been long — a couple of hours, maybe three at most — but it felt like forever, particularly with the deadline the Avengers had been given. The literal deadline, for him. Not having any other options, he kept watching the guy, more convinced of his theory by the second. One moment, his kidnapper would be the epitome of expressionless calm, the next moment he'd be pacing around the room like a big cat in a cage, looking ready to lash out any moment. Eli wasn't even sure which times were more dangerous for him, but he did his best to stay quiet either way, keeping out of the man's way and freezing every time the cold eyes were locked on him. Not that there was much room for him to move, anyway, since he doubted he was allowed to go exploring the place beyond this one room.

Not that he needed to. It was clear enough which door led outside.

The man was trained, that much was clear, but so was Eli. Perhaps not on the same level, and not in active service, but he wasn't utterly helpless. He'd still rather avoid an out and out fight if he could, but if he caught the man on a weak moment, he might be able to accomplish something. Not defeating him, no, but, well. He had to try something at least.

His chance came at last during one of the man's more distracted moments, as he was pacing again and murmuring to himself, looking very much like a deranged madman instead of a meticulously planning assassin. This wasn't the first time he was acting like this, not by far, but it was the first time he'd made the mistake of setting his weapon down. It was on a table on the other side of the room, too far from Eli for him to grab it without being intercepted, but it did mean he had a window of opportunity, however small it might have been. And his phone was on another table much closer to him.

Not allowing himself to hesitate, knowing too well he might not get another chance before the battery ran out and his time with it, Eli grabbed the phone and tossed it at the opposite wall as hard as he could.

This got the man's attention, his eyes flitting toward Eli and then to the phone. He decided to go for the phone, which gave Eli the moment he needed to open the front door and rush outside.

The weather hadn't changed much, except perhaps for the worse. The wind battered him from more directions at once than should have been possible, freezing him to the bone in moments, and while there was less snow whirling through the air, actually allowing to see him more than a few feet ahead, that only meant a thicker covering of it on the ground for him to push through. The guy hadn't been wrong. If he tried this escape, he'd probably freeze to death soon enough.

If he didn't, he was certain he'd die.

"Your choice." Eli almost didn't hear the voice over the howling of the wind, though he hadn't gotten far from the door. "You turn around now, you live. You come back later, I shoot you on sight. You have to the count of three."

There was little choice, he knew that. It was practically suicide either way, just a choice between a certain death that might hopefully be quick and a slow, gradual slide to nothing while he kept struggling for just a few more steps.

Except in one choice, he'd still get used to lure Sam and Cap into a certain trap, and in another, he could swear he saw some distant glint of light far in the snow-muffled landscape.

He barely heard the slam of the door behind him, but he supposed it was still better than a bullet to the back.

*

"What do you mean, you haven't seen Frozen?"

"Uh, precisely what it sounded like?" Tommy wasn't sure why Kitty was staring at him from where she was going through the movie selection like he had just admitted to eating puppies for breakfast. "I haven't seen Frozen? I mean, I think I've heard the song, everyone's heard the song, but I haven't seen the movie."

"But everyone's seen Frozen!" She didn't seem to get this concept, still looking downright scandalized. "How would you even manage to avoid it? It was everywhere when it came out! And for like forever after that!"

"I don't watch a lot of movies? I only watch stuff on Tony's screens to begin with, more than five minutes of regular screens and I have a hell of a headache, and speeding things up just the right amount without having things look or sound weird is a pretty involved process."

"All of which means he mostly just watches stuff in team movie nights, and even then he's pretending half the time and he's just there because he likes snuggling on the couch." And that? That was definitely slander. Or possibly libel, he could never keep those two straight. Really, he would have been angry at Kate for such a horrid insult if he hadn't enjoyed having her leaning in close right now. "And, well, since Frozen is on JARVIS's ban list, it's not going to come up."

"Ban list?" Now Mary Jane looked interested, too, though at least she wasn't quite as shocked. "Why would you ban Frozen? It's all about siblings and true love and everything, I'd think it'd be excellent team building."

"It's also about a witch who can't control her powers and gets hunted down by angry people who want her dead and almost causes her sister's death. Also, apparently there's people freezing?" Tommy shook his head as understanding started to dawn on their faces. "Yeah, not the best thing ever. I don't care how good the songs are, it's not worth risking nightmares or flashbacks or whatever."

"In a team this size, doing what we do, we've got pretty much every possible trauma covered. So, JARVIS maintains a list of inadvisable movies that varies based on the people present." Kate shrugged, leaning closer against Tommy. "You'd be surprised how many kids' movies end up on that list. We can all pretty much handle action movies and the like, we deal with explosions and firefights and such on a regular basis, but it seems nowadays you can't find anything aimed at the kids that doesn't come with a heap of kidnapping or child abuse or uncontrolled magic. We had to watch Brave when Teddy and Billy weren't there because forced transformations are apparently kind of a big deal when you're a shapeshifter."

"Yeah, I can see why you'd need JARVIS to keep track of that." Peter ran a hand through his hair. Of course he would know a thing or two about combat-induced traumas, not that he could say that with Aunt May sitting there and teaching Noh-Varr to play poker right next to them. "Uh. Would it be like terribly offensive to watch it while Billy's still in bed upstairs? Because we're kind of running out of alternatives here and I don't think streaming is going to be an option since the connection's down."

"You know, I'll just check with Teddy. If he thinks Billy'll stay in bed for the next couple of hours at least, I don't see why not." Tommy carefully disentangled himself from Kate before rushing off to check on the two. Teddy had spent a good part of the day with Billy, who hadn't showed his face at all, and for once he was even pretty sure this wasn't due to some adults only quality time. It just wasn't right, that was for sure.

Tommy even knocked before opening the door, mostly because he had rushed into their bedroom without warning before and seen things that could not be unseen. Really, Kate should have been so proud of him for his restraint. He even waited for a vague sound from Teddy before he opened the door.

"Hi there, frog-in-law." Teddy was sitting on the bed, reading a comic book, with Billy barely visible under the covers. "How's the patient?"

"Tired. Feverish. Thankfully asleep right now." Teddy shrugged. "You probably shouldn't get too close; he barely let me stay here, I know he'd blame himself if you caught this too."

"Ah, yes, the ever familiar Billy self-blame. Don't worry, I'll keep my puny human immune system out of the way." Tommy leaned against the door frame. "So we were wondering, if he's sleeping, would it be rude and cruel and stuff for us to watch Frozen downstairs? Also, no offense to your no doubt astounding abilities as the incredible nursemaid, but you should probably show your face around the rest of us mere mortals for more than just grabbing a bite. You know Billy would get all upset if he knew you're staying in here while the rest of us are all gathered downstairs. And yes, I know you don't mind it," he added before Teddy could protest. He was very good at cutting in before people could speak. "However, unless he's close to croaking, there's no need for you to stand guard while he sleeps, you can do that at home. Billy wouldn't want you to lose out on all that fluffy sappy holiday time togetherness on his account and you know it."

"I suppose you're right." Teddy sighed, giving Billy's barely visible form a fond glance. "I don't think he's going to wake up for a while yet, so he should be fine if I just check in on him regularly."

"That's the spirit." Tommy grinned. "I'll just let the others know you'll be showing up, then, shall I?"

The movie, as it turned out, was okay. He rather liked the subversion of the one true love and all it entailed, and everything was very pretty and stuff, but the music simply wasn't as awe-inspiring when heard at his speed. He may have stepped out to the kitchen to get a drink by the time it was obviously time for sacrifices and emotional climaxes, though. Not that it wasn't clear where the plot was going, but damn it, it wasn't the job of the younger sibling to save the older one.

Of course, by the time he got back for the no doubt heartwarming finale it wasn't just characters fighting. Apparently something had happened in the time he was away, since there was some very loud arguing going on. Also, the TV was dark, so there was that.

"What's going on here?" He handed Kate a drink and tossed another can at Noh-Varr, because damn it, he might have been a shitty human being but he could be a good boyfriend at least. "Technical difficulties?"

"Just discovering the side effects to Kitty's powers, I'm afraid." Kate nodded to where Kitty was exchanging sharp words with Peter. "She got up for a drink as well, tripped over Teddy, phased herself so she wouldn't smash right into the screen, and now the TV's fried."

"Aw, man. And the TV in the living room doesn't have a player and can't get a signal in this weather." Tommy popped his can open and took a sip. "So, what? We're stuck with nothing but playing cards and shadow puppets? Unless we lose electricity as well, that is. Can't even use Billy as a generator when he's feeling shitty."

Mary Jane sighed, shaking her head, though Tommy wasn't sure if it was directed at him or her boyfriend's antics. "Please don't jinx us any further. The power goes out in weather like this, we'll have better things to worry about than entertainment."

"Oh, please. We have plenty of firewood and an actual, working fireplace, we are not going to freeze." May seemed to be taking this all in stride, as though it wasn't strange at all to be dealing with teenagers with superpowers. Well, it was probably all in a day's work for her, even if she didn't actually know it. "You young people are just too tied to your electronics."

"I don't understand." Noh-Varr gave that adorable frown of his that he wore whenever the Earthlings were being too confusing for his poor little alien brain. "Didn't you say you were wishing for a video game tournament after this? That would require a TV as well, would it not?"

"Yes, well, when one grows up, they learn that sometimes it's not possible to have everything one wants." May gave a delicate sniff, then paused. "Wait. Did anyone else hear that?"

"The yelling? Yeah, that's kind of obvious." Tommy gestured to the still ongoing argument, with MJ now trying to get Peter to calm down without too much success.

"No, not that. I could have sworn it was…" May trailed off, frowning. "I thought I heard someone at the door."

"At the door? In the middle of nowhere, during a snow storm?" Teddy lifted his eyebrows. Tommy had to admit, he looked remarkably relaxed for someone who insisted on going upstairs every fifteen minutes to check on his darling husband. "I have to say, that's one of the more creative ways I've heard someone trying to distract people from an argument."

"No, I heard it too." Noh-Varr stood up, frowning. "It was faint, but I definitely heard someone knock."

"Easy enough to check, right?" Without waiting another moment, Tommy rushed to the door before anyone could say anything. As he paused in front of it, reaching for the handle, he could hear it, too. It was clearer now, a thump on the other side of the door, like someone hitting it with a fist.

Well, if it was some kind of a crazy ax murderer or a lost yeti, he was fast enough to get out of the way of an attack, right?

Many possibilities of what he might see on the other side of the door crossed Tommy's mind in the short moment it took him to open the door, some of them more plausible than others. And really, someone stumbling inside from the cold and collapsing on the floor was pretty high on that list. After all, that would definitely fit the horror setting of people stuck out in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, snowed in and cut off from the world.

What he didn't expect to see after pushing the door closed again was a very familiar face looking up at him from the floor.

"Tommy?" Teddy was in the doorway to the rec room now, frowning at them. Kate and Noh-Varr were both peering around them, and Tommy could hear that the argument had stopped behind them. "That's — what's happening?"

"Eli." As this didn't get him an immediate reaction, he raised his voice, shaking the man on the floor. He was conscious, but only barely, his skin cold as ice. "It's Eli! Fuck, he's freezing. We'll need May's fireplace now, get out of the way, we need to get him warm."

"Let me —" Teddy stepped forward, doubtless to claim Eli, the big powerhouse that he was. However, Tommy was faster, Tommy was always faster. It was funny, really, how even the people on the team seemed to forget that he carried them around on a regular basis when need be. Sure, Eli was considerably bigger than Kate or even Billy, certainly taller and bulkier than the one they had known and currently more or less dead weight, but Tommy still managed to maneuver him into his arms and get him off the floor.

"I'll get some blankets." Noh-Varr rushed upstairs, with Teddy and Kate moving out of the way for Tommy to get past them. He cleared the doorway, and then the next one from the rec room to the living room, because of course Tony Stark needed two separate spaces for leisure activities in a so-called cabin he visited maybe once every three years. Heading for the couch closest to the fireplace, he shooed off Legolas, who had been napping in the corner. He settled Eli on the couch. Better not have him lying on the floor if he was freezing, not unless he could at least sit to minimize the contact.

"Tommy?" The others had followed him, Teddy first of all, not that he could blame them. "Is that — holy shit, it really is Eli."

"Yeah, and we need to get him warm fast." Eli's eyes had closed now, and Tommy wasn't really sure he was conscious anymore. "I think getting to the door took the last of his energy."

"Well, there's no use milling about here." May stepped forward, a very firm expression on her face. "First, we need to get him changed. I don't know how far he walked outside, but we're far enough from the closest places he could have come from that the snow's got to have soaked him through. His clothes aren't exactly designed for this kind of weather."

"Right." Kate, too, thank God for efficient women, Tommy wasn't sure what he would have done without them in his life. "Teddy, you're the closest to Eli in build, get some spare clothes and you and Tommy can change him into something dry and warm. I'll get the fire started, and don't you dare get prudish about my being here, I promise I've seen enough undressed men not to get the vapors."

"I'll get him something warm to drink. Try to get him awake and keep him that way. Shivering is good if he can do it, but don't try rubbing his skin, he needs his blood flow around his organs right now."

"Okay, got it." Tommy was already starting to work on Eli's clothes, which were indeed wet with snow that was starting to melt through in the warm air inside. "Should I ask why you seem to be so knowledgeable about treating a possible hypothermia case?"

"Extended cross-country skiing holiday. Knowing the first aid is a good idea when there's a chance something might happen." May clicked her tongue. "Peter, MJ, Kitty? Come with me, we'd better make everyone something to eat while we're at it. Also, less fussing about is probably for the better, whatever happened to him he's probably terribly shaken already."

The others cleared out, Teddy rushing off to find dry clothes, leaving Kate and Tommy alone with Eli. Tommy waited until he was sure everyone was out of the earshot before he spoke.

"You don't seem very shocked."

"What do you mean?" Kate frowned from where she was building a fire in the fireplace. He had no idea how she had learned that particular skill, but it sure came handy now. Possibly some kind of spy assassin life-saving crash course courtesy of the other Hawkeye, was Tommy's best guess. "I'm just trying to stay calm."

"Yeah, well, obviously you're shocked that he showed up here of all places. But, you know, unlike Teddy, you don't seem surprised to see Eli in particular." Tommy somehow managed to maneuver Eli's arms out of his jacket sleeves and his sweater despite the almost total lack of response. He supposed it helped somewhat that he'd played nursemaid for Noh-Varr for a while, before. "There something you're not telling me?"

Kate was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "I knew he was here." He waited for more. "I hadn't met him, had only seen a picture, but I did know that he exists here in this world, separate from us. He wasn't brought over by Billy or anything, if that's what you're thinking, he had a life here before us. Steve heard the name when you were talking about him and asked me to confirm."

"How do you know it's the same one, though?" Because that was always a possibility because their lives were fucking weird. "I mean. What if Billy's magic reached out and brought him here somehow, because he's sick and can't control it or something? Another copy even if there is one in this world? It'd definitely explain how he ended up here."

"Well, for one thing, if that were true, I doubt he'd have appeared somewhere so far from here that he'd have frozen himself as badly as he seems to have. For another, well." Kate nodded at Eli. "Look at his hand."

"His hand?" Tommy frowned, then took a closer look. Nothing weird on his right hand, but the left… "A wedding ring?"

"Yeah. Of course, I can't be sure about our old Eli, it's been a while since we left and even longer since I last heard from him, but I do know that the Eli in this world is married." Kate paused. "Does he have a necklace or something?"

Well, it was easy enough to check. He was just about to pull the sweater away anyway, so he could just as well take a look. Thankfully Noh-Varr returned just then, dumping a few blankets on the back of the couch before he helped Tommy get Eli into a sitting position for easier sweater removal.

Something made a metallic cling as he tossed the sweater aside. Bending to look, he found a chain around his neck, with two dogtags hanging on it.

"I doubt our Eli would have served," Tommy murmured, ignoring Noh-Varr's obvious confusion for now. "Not after what they did to his grandfather. That wasn't the way he wanted to be a hero."

"Check the tags."

That was a curious instruction. On a closer inspection, though, Tommy realized the two weren't quite the same. For one thing, only one of them had Eli's name. The other… "What the hell is this?"

Kate looked up from where she had finally gotten a small fire going. "Tommy, Noh-Varr. I'd like to introduce you to our guest." She appeared calm, all right, but there was a hint of a tremble in her voice. "This is Elijah Wilson-Bradley."

"Wait. Wilson?" Tommy frowned. The name on the other tag… "Doesn't that mean…"

"Yes, it does." Kate nodded. "In this world, he is Falcon's husband."

*

"Fuck."

Natasha didn't look away from the controls of the plane, needing to focus on the flying. She didn't need to, anyway, to know the look that was surely on Steve's face right now. "That sounds promising."

"It's not." Steve sighed, and as she risked a brief glimpse over her shoulder she found him tapping at the screen that was linked to the plane's scanning systems. "Start looking for a place to go down. We're almost at the place where we traced Eli's phone, and the area map says there's a cottage here."

"But?" Sam's voice was rough, not that Natasha could blame him. He was probably a wreck at this point, held together with little more than nerves and desperation.

"I didn't say there were buts."

"No, but you did swear, and that's as good as." Sam growled, he actually growled. "Out with it, Steve. I'm not going to break. Not until this fucker is down, anyway."

"You're not going to like this." Steve's voice was dark, but already resigned.

"I don't think any of us like anything about this." Even Nova sounded grim, which was a good indicator of how bad the situation was. She'd seen some recordings of Spider-Man's team on missions. He'd been making snarky comments while actively being chewed by a huge monster made of cookies. With teeth.

"You'll like this even less." Steve sighed. "It's more accurate to say this is where we last traced Eli's phone."

"What do you mean?" Sam's voice was quiet, but it wasn't like anyone was going to interrupt.

"The signal's been flickering for a while now. Even with the jet's equipment, I've barely managed to keep track of it." Another sigh, and damn, the situation really had to be bad. "Just now, it died entirely."

There was a moment of silence. Then, Nova spoke up. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything. The tracing isn't dependent on the battery, right?"

"I don't know how exactly it works. I think I prefer to think there's still hope. Besides, the guy wants me there, he's hardly going to throw out all his cards at the first opportunity." This was Steve's hopeful Cap voice, which was quite different from his hopeful Steve voice. For one thing, hopeful Steve voice was rarely a lie.

"Only one way to find out, I suppose." Sam's voice was tense to the point of almost breaking. Nobody was going to call him on it, though. "Either way, the guy can't have gotten far in this weather."

"Let's hope so, because I'm going down. Hold onto something, boys, this isn't exactly a smooth tarmac." There was a clearing, or so the jet's sensors told her, and though there was a thick carpet of snow it was her best hope of a proper landing spot. All she needed was the right angle to come in and down without the battering winds throwing her either into any trees nor into the cottage at the edge of the clearing, and then to make it down to the ground the right side up.

Well. The last part was optional. They'd made worse landings before.

Things were going too well, she thought, as they made a nice landing and weren't immediately greeted by gunfire. Even worse, they actually made it out of the plane and to the front door without being attacked.

As they kicked in the door and found nobody there, only the broken remains of Eli's phone lying on the floor, Natasha wasn't even sure if she should have been relieved or despairing.


	5. Chapter 5

He was warm.

This seemed unreal enough after his recent experiences that Eli was very tempted to take this as a sign that he had indeed died and gone to some sort of an afterlife, except for the fact that he was feeling quite uncomfortable. Somehow he doubted vague discomfort was the state of choice for any afterlife he might have been destined for, not that he cared to spend much time pondering the options.

There were voices, too, ones he didn't recognize, apparently in the same room. The words he caught weren't anything important, comments about food and the like, except then he caught on to something.

His name. His own name, Eli, not even the full name on his dogtags.

Somehow Eli managed to force his eyes open, blinking up at a ceiling that seemed to belong to a cottage of some sort. There was a fire to one side of the couch he was lying on, and he'd been swaddled in blankets. The situation seemed suspicious, but not malicious. Huh.

"Oh hey you're awake!" Someone was standing next to him all of a sudden, even though he could swear there hadn't been anyone in sight just a moment ago. "That's great there's food soon do you want something to drink?"

"Tommy, give him room to breathe." A woman walked up to them at a more sensible pace, setting a hand on the arm of the blond man currently looming over him. "Or at least draw a breath every now and then."

"But Kate, Eli's awake!"

"So I am," Eli confirmed. "And I'd rather like to know how the hell you know my name." Though he had to admit, their faces were vaguely familiar. He couldn't quite place them with his half-frozen brain, but he could swear…

"That would be thanks to Steve." The woman crossed her arms over her chest. "Kate Barton, Hawkeye. And your husband would be Falcon."

"Uh." What was he supposed to say to that? He wasn't going to out Sam, not ever, but he had to admit the name and face were clicking together now. And the man next to her was quite clearly Tommy Stark, now that he had the context right. "So… I happened to stumble upon the Avengers holiday home?"

"Something like that." Tommy nodded just a bit too fast. "Though we're pretty curious about why you're here."

"It's — it's bad." And damn, it only now dawned on him just how stupid he had been to go looking for others, though he had probably lucked out with this discovery. "You need to contact Cap, right away. He's in danger."

"Yeah, that's usually the case." Kate looked grave, though. "Sadly that won't do. The storm has cut us off, and Wiccan is too sick to do any magic. Unless Cap magically happens to arrive within range of our comm units, because I know Tommy has a few stashed away somewhere no matter what, we're not going to get in touch with him."

"That just might happen, though." Eli sighed, pushing himself up to a sitting position. "Either way, I'm afraid you're going to be in trouble, too."

"Yes, well, we figured things weren't too ordinary when you showed up out of nowhere." Another man appeared, one Eli didn't recognize this time. Young, white, brown hair, carrying a steaming mug. "How about you drink this and tell us what happened while we wait for food?"

More people arrived to listen to his story, surrounding the couch with familiar and unfamiliar faces. Eli had mostly been joking about the Avengers holiday home, except it seemed all the younger Avengers were indeed here, with a few guests besides. He told them what had happened as well as he could, taking occasional sips of the hot coffee he had been given, nobody interrupting him except to ask the occasional clarifying question.

"So in other words, there's every chance Winter Soldier will show up at our door, and Cap will follow him." Kate nodded as Eli finally finished his tale. "Right. Seems like we've got our entertainment lined up, then."

"I shouldn't have come here," Eli murmured. "I just — all I was thinking was that I didn't want to be used against Cap. Should have realized I'd just put more people in danger if I found anyone."

"Yes, well, you just happened to find the people most capable of handling that danger." Tommy glanced around at the gathered people. "The kitchen is in the middle of the house, right? No windows?"

"Right. It's got two doors, but with one intruder we only need to defend one once we know where he's coming from." Kate glanced at the man Eli hadn't recognized. "Peter, you, May, and MJ should stay there, it's the one place we know he won't show up. Teddy, I doubt he'll make his way upstairs, but you'll protect Billy just in case. Kitty —"

"I'm with you," a young, curly-haired girl cut in. "I may not be a full-grown X-Man, but I can still do stuff, and besides I'm pretty hard to damage."

"I suppose that's true." Kate glanced back at Eli. "Eli, you'd probably best stay in the kitchen with the civilians. You're in no state to be fighting anyone."

"Maybe I can't fight, but I'm not going to hide away." Eli shook his head. "I won't protest at you guys keeping him from killing me, but if Cap shows up, he needs to see that I'm safe."

"Fair enough. But if it seems the situation's getting out of hand, Tommy or Noh-Varr will get you out."

"Got it." Tommy gave a mocking little salute. "And otherwise, I assume we're with you on damage control?"

"Right. Dig out whatever gear you have stashed away, we need to get in touch with Cap as soon as he's in range."

"All that snow's going to put a damper on things, but I'll do my best." Tommy nodded at the man Eli vaguely recognized as Hulkling. "Come on, lizard-in-law. My stuff's upstairs, so for once I'll be nice and walk with you. I need to talk with you anyway."

"If you plan to threaten me about keeping your brother safe, I can assure you it's not needed." Nevertheless, the two walked away together, everyone else starting to chat with each other. None of them seemed particularly worried, though there was definitely an air of tension running through them all.

"You can sit here for the moment," another white-haired man told Eli. "I am quite fast, I can get you to the scene no matter where our guests decide to arrive from."

"Right." Eli was pretty sure he had seen this man as well, dashing through news footage almost as fast as Speed, carrying people to safety when he wasn't delivering high-velocity punches to the faces of criminals. Eli figured he wouldn't be too much of a challenge.

He supposed if he was going to drag others into this mess, he couldn't have hoped for a better group of people.

*

Peter was feeling antsy.

All right, so that was a total understatement. He wasn't just antsy, he was anxious. There was every chance that someone very dangerous was coming their way, and he couldn't even be out there fighting with his friends. He suspected Kate had intended for him to be one last line of defense, but frankly he would have preferred to keep any sort of fight away from MJ and Aunt May entirely.

Aunt May seemed to be doing her best to pretend nothing was the matter, conjuring up a deck of cards from somewhere and roping them both into a game around the kitchen table. Peter kept glancing at the doors, though, unable to focus on the game at all.

It didn't take long for his composure to crack. Planting his hands on the table, he stood up. "Aunt May?" He couldn't back down now. There was simply no way he was going to sit back and play helpless while everyone else risked themselves. "I — there's something I —"

"Go on, Peter." As he glanced at her, startled, she merely nodded. "You need to go with them, right? To fight that man."

"I… how did you…"

"Your old aunt is not entirely stupid, dear. And I would like to think I'm not unobservant, either." She patted Peter's arm. "Go on. We can talk about this later, when there aren't scary mercenaries stalking around the house."

"Right." He nodded at her, stole a kiss from MJ for good luck, and rushed out. He didn't have his uniform or even his web shooters, but there was still a lot he could do.

"Peter?" Kate blinked as he stepped out into the entrance hall, where everyone seemed to be gathering. "Wait, did something happen?"

"Nah. I'm just joining in." Peter shook his head. "I'm not going to sit around while you guys fight. There's a time and place for playing civilian, and this isn't it."

"What about your aunt?" Tommy frowned, looking up from fiddling with a small comm unit. "I thought she didn't know about the whole super thing? Because don't even try to tell us she would send her apparently normal high schooler nephew into a super fight, she's too smart for that."

"Yeah, apparently she's too smart to have been fooled in the first place. I'll probably get a long talk sooner or later, but for now, I'm here." Peter stretched his arms. "I can't promise any web-slinging, but I'm still pretty fast and strong even without that." He paused. "Well, not very fast at all compared with you guys, but I think that's a given."

"Yeah, no, we're pretty hard to beat." Tommy flashed him a grin. "So, how good is your spider-sense, exactly?"

"The bigger the threat, the sharper the tingling." Peter shrugged. "It's not like I have a specific measurement for it, you know? It's best for incoming projectiles and the like, where all I need to know is that I need to get away."

"Right. So you couldn't, say, pinpoint where our guest will be coming from?"

"Not really, no. I can probably tell when he's getting close, but it's not like I have some sort of a precise radar." However handy that might have been.

"Hey, that already helps. Noh-Var and I can pretty much run around the house to keep an eye on all the windows in case he doesn't believe in doors, but it'll be easier if we can wait until he's actually nearby. Gives me more time to try and get through the storm." He indicated the comm unit in his hand.

"Right. I can do that." Peter nodded. "So, uh. Is there anything for me to do here besides let you know when I'm tipping from general anxiety to oh shit assassin incoming?"

"Under most circumstances I'd ask you to help Tommy with trying to reach Cap and his people, but we don't exactly have the supplies for an impromptu science project." Kate sighed, looking up from what appeared to be a hastily drawn layout of the house. "Seriously, though, just giving us a bit of a warning is already a big help."

"Right. I'll look out for any sudden tingles, then." Peter paused. "Ah. Thanks for, you know. Not outing me without warning."

"Hey, just because we're open about our identities now doesn't mean we've forgotten the benefits of secret identities." Kate gave him a lopsided smile. "We kinda fought a war for the right of supers to stay hidden. Wouldn't want to mess with that now."

"Fair enough." And absolutely not something he was going to go poking at any time soon. "I'll just let you know if I get tingled by any big, scary Russian assassins, huh?"

For all his attempts at lightening the mood, Peter could practically feel the tension in the air. Conversation slowly died down, until they were left eyeing each other, all waiting for something to happen. Really, a part of Peter was almost relieved when the slight unease at the back of his mind turned into actual, active warnings of an approaching enemy, his mere expression sending Tommy and Noh-Var running off to check every possible entry route before he could get a single word out. Of course, the Winter Soldier couldn't care less about their careful strategies, and instead chose to literally break down the front door instead.

Perhaps it wasn't a great indicator of self-preservation instincts for him to appreciate the break of tension into a direct confrontation, but he was pretty sure that ship had sailed when he first put on tights to fight crime.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh. Do mind the warnings? >.>

Kate had been in bad situations before, in this world and elsewhere. She even liked to think she was quite good at staying calm no matter what. Even so, she had to admit she felt pretty shaken when the Winter Soldier, clearly in bad guy mode, broke through their front door.

“Give me the boy.”

Well. Clearly they didn’t teach manners in assassin school.

“Yeah, not going to happen.” Tommy sneered, arms crossed over his chest. “Especially since I’m pretty sure you mean Eli, but he’s probably one of the oldest people here, and I think it’s pretty rude to call him a boy.”

“I am not playing around.” The Winter Soldier frowned, not that much of his expression was visible behind his mask. Was this even Bucky? Kate wasn’t sure.

“Well, neither are we.” Kate shook her head. “You really think we’re going to hand over a hostage so you can try to bait Cap over?”

“Hm.” The Soldier glanced around at them. “I could just start shooting you. Might work just as well.”

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of that plan.” Peter was sticking to a wall above the rest of them, apparently finding this perfectly normal. “Why do you think that would end well for you, anyway? We’ve got a bunch of heroes here, and if we’re not very wrong there’s backup on the way. You’re one guy with a gun and a high-tech arm. Who do you think will come out on top?”

“I don’t know.” The Soldier took a step forward. “How many of you are you willing to sacrifice to find out?”

They couldn’t stretch this on forever, Kate knew that all too well. The Soldier looked rather twitchy, and it wasn’t like they were going to negotiate with him. Sooner or later something had to give, but she wasn’t sure what.

Sometimes she very much wished she’d had Tommy’s thinking speed. No doubt he was already juggling four different plans, but they couldn’t really communicate them in front of the Soldier.

Kate opened her mouth to speak, hoping she’d come up with something to say by the time her tongue caught up, but instead she found herself gasping as a small form rushed past her.

“I’m scared!” Kitty wailed, her voice rather more high-pitched than Kate was used to hearing from her. “I want to go home!”

Kate wasn’t sure exactly where she was hoping to rush, but that didn’t matter either way as she apparently stumbled over her own feet, falling on the floor right in front of the Soldier. Kate stepped forward, the others right beside her, only to freeze as the Soldier grasped her and hauled her up.

“Well. One hostage is as good as another.” The Soldier clutched Kitty with one hand, the other pointing a gun at her. Kitty whimpered, hanging her head. Her hair fell down, concealing her face. “Thanks for that, little girl.”

“Don’t you dare touch her.” Eli’s voice trembled with rage. “She’s just a kid! She has nothing to do with this!”

“I don’t care.” The Soldier shook Kitty, who whimpered again. “I need the Captain. She will do.”

“…You know what I hate?” Kitty’s voice was quiet, almost too much so for Kate to hear. Her face was still hidden, her whole body curled up on herself.

The Soldier frowned, but didn’t look down at her, his gaze sweeping the rest of them. “Be quiet, girl.”

“I really, really hate people who think that just because someone’s a girl, they’re obviously helpless.” Kitty lifted her head, just enough for Kate to see the smirk on Kitty’s face. The next moment she spun on her heel, reaching up to grasp the Soldier’s mask. There was a gunshot, and Kate’s heart almost stopped, yet all that did was send a bullet in the wall behind Kitty as she very deftly fell right through the Soldier’s robotic arm, then skipped out of reach.

The Soldier growled in anger, and yeah, that was definitely Bucky under the mask, his eyes wild as he staggered away. He looked like he was trying to reach out, but his arm wouldn’t work.

His robotic arm. Which Kitty had just phased through. Which would make it nothing but dead weight.

“I’d say well done, Kitty, but I think you just took roughly fifteen years off my life.” The comm unit in Kate’s ear crackled, but she didn’t let it show on her face. Tommy at her side stood up a little straighter, clearly noticing it too.

Someone was getting closer. Someone with access to Avengers comm units.

“You.” The Soldier glared at Kitty. “I should put a bullet in your head.”

“Be my guest.” Kitty spread her arms in invitation. She was, Kate noted, far enough from the rest of them that there was no chacne of someone else getting hit if she phased out of the way. “Think it’ll work better this time?”

“Face it. You don’t know what we can do.” Noh-Varr folded his arms in an almost adorable reflection of Tommy’s stance. “Perhaps you know the basics, but clearly your information is not enough to face us.”

“We’ll see about that.” The Soldier stalked to the side, his eyes dancing between them all. He was clearly getting out of sorts, which was both good and bad. “I doubt you’re all immune to bullets.”

“Maybe not. But enough of us are fast enough to get to you before you actually do much damage.” Tommy shrugged, though Kate could tell the tension didn’t leave him. “Do you really want to test that?”

“Kate.” Cap’s voice broke through in her ear, and Kate had to work hard not to react visibly. “We’re near the front entrance. You need to tell us where he is so we’ll know how to approach.”

“Well, it’s not like we can blame him for getting desperate.“ Kate smirked, all too aware that she was basically taunting an unstable assassin. She hadn’t gotten where she was by playing it safe. “I mean, he’s barely gotten in the front door and since then nothing’s gone right for him.”

The Soldier’s hand twitched, the one that was still working. Before he could do anything, though, something bright and blinding flew through the broken entrance. Nova had barely stopped like a particularly furious laser pointer, the Soldier’s gaze immediately drawn to him, when more people burst in, immediately heading right, to the opposite side of the enemy. Clearly her oh so subtle hint had been received.

Cap took on a firm stance, no doubt about to say something strong and heroic, only to freeze as he saw the soldier’s face. “…Bucky?”

There was no reaction, no recognition. The Soldier merely halted, his gaze sharpening. “Captain. I’ve found you.”

“Seems more like we found you.” Falcon’s eyes flickered over to their group, and Kate could practically feel the relief that took over him. “Eli!”

“Right. Your partner gave me some trouble.” The Soldier’s face barely shifted. “Should have done this a while ago.” Then, still not showing any hint of emotion, he shifted his gun and fired.

Eli cried out, clutching at his stomach, and Kate knew she had failed.

*

Peter was ready to climb on walls.

Metaphorically, of course. Literally, he was already on the wall, clutching on tight. He’d just had a moment to feel happy to see Sam show up with Cap’s people when things had taken a turn for the worse. Eli was curled up on the floor, hands clutching at his stomach. Everyone was shouting, Falcon was clearly torn between rushing to Eli and the Soldier, the only one who actually stayed calm was the Soldier himself. He stood there, gun still in hand, entirely unaffected.

"Everyone, stay calm." Cap's voice was calm and steady, lifting over their rather less composed voices. "Sam, Natasha, look after Eli. Everyone else, stand down."

"We can't just stand by and watch!" Peter burst out. "If there's anything we can do —"

"Stalemate." The Winter Soldier's voice was rough. "Any of you tries anything, I'll shoot them next." His hand was wavering from side to side, aiming at each of them in turn. "I only need one kill. I can make it more."

"We don't need to make this messy." Cap lifted a hand. "I'm not getting anyone else killed for my sake."

"What? No!" Sam sounded horrified, not that Peter could blame him. "You can't mean —"

Cap simply gestured for Sam to move back, taking a step forward. The Soldier's gun immediately snapped to his direction, butit didn't fire. Not yet. "We're both at a stalemate here and you know it," Cap said, his voice somehow staying steady despite the impossible situation. "If you shoot me now, you'll be taken down before I touch the ground."

"It's my mission." The man was clearly unstable, more so than Peter's usual cast of villains, and that was saying something. "I can't return before my mission is complete."

"You can't return if you are dead. Or worse, captured. I doubt your employers want us to get any information from you." Cap paused, then glanced at their side of the room. How he could take his eyes off the madman aiming at him, Peter didn't know. "Tommy. Where is Billy?"

"He's — he's upstairs. First door on the left." Tommy's voice almost cracked, as though he wasn't sure he should tell anyone where his brother was. "He's not — he's in one piece, I just —"

"That's enough for me to know." Steve looked back to the Winter Soldier. "A stalemate is not good for either of us. As such, I propose a trade."

Peter's stomach lurched. He couldn't imagine any sort of a trade that wouldn't end badly, not with what the other side demanded. He crept closer, just a bit, but froze as the Soldier's gaze immediately flew to him. Crap. Clearly this wasn't going to go without trouble.

"Speak." Still the same rough voice, but Peter could almost imagine he was hearing uncertainty in there. Or maybe it was his own fears he heard reflected, he wasn't entirely sure.

"You let me go upstairs to make sure my younger son is safe. In the meantime, you don't shoot anyone, and nobody attacks you." Cap's gaze flickered toward Tommy again, and Peter could have sworn he almost looked apologetic as he added, "Once I'm sure he's safe… you can shoot me and leave unharmed, as long as nobody else is hurt."

This caused a chorus of protests, of course, from Peter among others, that were all cut short when the Soldier lifted his gun and shot at the ceiling. Peter jumped back, though it was still a few feet away from him, his ears ringing from the shot and the sudden silence that followed.

"You have two minutes." There was no inflection in the Soldier's voice now, no emotion of any sort. "You're not back by then, I'll start from the smallest."

"Deal." Cap nodded, and this had to be a nightmare, there was no way this could be anything but a nightmare. "Nobody move. I don't want any more casualties than necessary."

Peter watched, transfixed, as Cap made his way to the stairs, his steps slow to avoid spooking the unstable enemy. As he got to the stairs proper he sped up, no doubt to make the most of his allotted two minutes.

Seconds slowed to hours as Cap disappeared up the stairs and into the room Tommy had pointed out. Peter's ears caught words from within, too murmured for him to make out what was going on, he could only hope there was some master plan being hatched there —

And then Cap walked back out, nodding as he appeared in the doorway, calm as ever. "Head count matches," he said. "I'm going to come down and set down my shield. That should be plenty of proof for your employers."

"Hurry." The Winter Soldier's gun twitched towards Cap, as though he was just that tempted to just shoot him right on the upstairs landing, but he returned it all too quickly to its last spot pointing straight at Kate.

"I will." Despite his words, Cap was perfectly calm as he came down the stairs. "Everyone else, step aside. We don't want any accidents."

"You can't do this, Cap." Sam's voice was rough, his fists clenched so tight Peter could see them wavering all the way across the large entrance hall. "This — hasn't this been enough?"

"Too much, you mean. And I don't want there to be anything more." Cap sent Falcon a sharp gaze. "I said step aside, Nova. Nobody else's getting killed on my account."

Sam hesitated, Peter could see it, but he moved aside anyway. Cap came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, keeping his eyes on the Winter Soldier as he set his shield down on the floor. The Soldier stepped closer, his gun finally pointing directly at Cap.

"Come on, Buck." Cap's voice was soft, now, almost pleading, even as he spread his arms, offering no resistance. "You know it's me, Bucky. You don't need to do this."

For a moment Peter could have sworn the Soldier wavered, eyes fixated on Cap's face. The hand that held the gun shook minutely, but his arm rose steadily anyway until the gun pointed directly at Cap's forehead.

"Bucky," Cap said, and then the shot rang out, any further words he might have said disappearing in a burst of red on the wall behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam felt numb.

It was bad enough that Eli, the one they’d come to rescue, was curled up on the floor, Natasha and Falcon trying their best to keep him from bleeding out. Sam felt useless, helpless, like he couldn’t do anything of importance. He’d been here, and he was utterly useless.

Speed was the first one to move, his steps carefully slow even though Sam suspected he wanted nothing as much as to run at the Soldier. He picked up Cap’s shield, looking down at it for a moment. Then he reached it out to the Soldier, his eyes blazing.

“Get out.” The words came out cold, sharp, Speed’s eyes drilling into the Soldier. “Before I forget that Cap agreed to this and decide to blow you up.”

The Soldier didn’t respond, didn’t say anything at all. Instead he holstered his gun, grabbed the shield, and turned to go. Speed stood there, fists clenched, vibrating with barely controlled rage until the Soldier had disappeared into the storm outside.

“Steve!” Finally, Hawkeye broke out of her daze and rushed over, kneeling next to the Captain. Sam didn’t want to look, yet he couldn’t help it. Immediately he regretted it. He’d seen injuries before, had even seen dead people before, but this was worse than any of that. This was Captain America, the strong and pure paragon, lying on the floor with half his head missing.

“Oh god, oh god.” Hawkeye was clearly freaking out, and the other girl was crying openly, pressed against a wall. Natasha and Falcon both looked grim, but were more focused on their patient than Steve. “What do we do?”

“Secure the perimeter.” Speed seemed to be the only one who was calm right now. “Nova, I’m assuming the cold isn’t a problem for you? Go make sure the Soldier’s gone. Noh, check on the civilians. Peter, we need you to keep your spider senses sharp for the time being. How’s Eli?”

“He’s alive, but not for long.” Well, Natasha clearly wasn’t one for mincing her words. She said something else but Sam didn’t hear any of it, too busy flying out into the storm. He forced his way through the snow, scanning the surroundings of the cottage. There was already no sign of the Soldier, even though it should have been impossible for him to get far. Though then, he wasn’t exactly a normal human.

“No sign of him.” Sam landed back at the entrance, glancing down at the door. It had been broken off its hinges, but he supposed he could at least lift it back in its place. It wouldn’t keep any intruders out, but right now, even keeping the wind and snow outside would be a victory.

“Excellent.” Some of the tension in Speed seemed to bleed out. “Maybe we can make this work after all.”

“What do you mean, make this work?” Peter sounded close to hysterics, and Sam wished he could have done something about that, but he really wasn’t much better. “Cap is dead! Don’t try to pretend this is part of some super smart plan!”

“There’s no pretension here.” The voice made Sam freeze. Looking up, he saw a very familiar form up at the upstairs landing. It was Cap, looking no worse for wear, supporting a barely conscious Wiccan on one arm.

“Cap?” Sam’s mouth dropped open. “But — then what — who —” He looked down at the bloodied body. No illusions here.

“Teddy?” Hawkeye’s voice wavered as she looked down at the broken not-Cap. “Teddy? Is that you?”

For a moment Sam thought there’d been some kind of a truly twisted trade here, and Hawkeye might have snapped from the horror of that. Then, though, the not-Cap’s head started knitting itself back together in front of his eyes.

“Remind me never to get shot in the head again,” he grumbled, holding his head as he sat up. “I’m not saying it’s the worst thing I’ve ever felt, but it’s definitely up there.”

“What. The. Fuck.” Sam almost wanted to call Peter out for his language, but really, Peter was just saying the words Sam’s tongue couldn’t bring out.

“The thing with Skrulls? They’re really, really hard to kill.” Speed walked over, giving the not-Cap a hand up. As he did so, the not-Cap’s appearance shifted, making way for another well-built blond man. “And really good at pretending to be other people, mind. Sorry for not warning you,” he added, running a hand over Hawkeye’s hair in a rather gentle gesture. “We kind of needed you to react genuinely to sell it.”

“I hate you.” Hawkeye hiccuped, rubbing at her eyes. “You absolute bastard, I hate you so much…”

“Yeah, yeah, hate me all you want once we’re all back home.” Speed helped her up to her feet as well, drawing her into his arms. “Let’s get moving. Billy? Think you can do anything about getting Eli home in one piece?”

Wiccan blinked slowly as Cap handed him off to Hulkling. He frowned, but then nodded. Hulkling lifted him up into big, strong arms, and Wiccan leaned against his shoulder. That didn’t look very convincing, but Sam wasn’t the one making the calls here.

“Sam?” Peter was next to him, Peter was in one piece and breathing and he was right there, and suddenly Sam couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He reached his arms around Peter, holding on tight. It wasn’t his place, he should have known better especially with MJ here, but Peter was here and Sam needed to know he was in one piece.

“You stupid idiot,” he murmured. “See if I ever let you go anywhere on your own again. I should’ve been here to begin with!”

“Right, right.” Peter reached his arms around Sam, and okay, that could have been worse. “I’m all in one piece. And, uh, my aunt apparently knows about the super stuff.”

He should have probably reacted to that, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. It wasn’t until he heard a sound next to them that Sam finally sprang away, glancing around. Seeing MJ standing next to them, he froze.

“Oh, don’t mind me.” MJ smiled, waving her hand. “He’s going to need all the hugs he can get to prepare for the inevitable chat.”

And really, that should have worried him, but right now all Sam cared about was making sure Peter was in one piece.

*

Billy could barely even think, but he had to try.

He wasn’t entirely clear on what was going on, and he definitely had no idea why someone who looked exactly like Eli was bleeding on the floor, but he knew he needed to do something. What that something was, he wasn’t entirely sure, since he still couldn’t get out a single word.

“Bee?” Teddy’s voice was soft in his ear. “Bee, is there any way you could get us a portal to the Tower? You do that a lot, right?”

Billy frowned, trying to focus. He could feel his magic coursing through him, but bringing it out was a different matter. He knew it was a weakness that he should have gotten over by now, but it was a bit too late to worry about that now.

There was a thought in the back of his mind, trying to work its way to the front. His brain was a mess, too foggy from the fever to put anything through. Something he’d heard recently… something about…

He blinked, trying to put his thoughts together, then poked at Teddy’s chest with a finger. He drew a circle, then tapped to make a point.

“Huh?” Teddy blinked, and Billy repeated himself. Now, Teddy’s eyes widened in understanding. “Ah! A circle?”

Billy nodded a little. If they put together a magic circle, he wouldn’t necessarily have to speak. Giving the energy would tire him out, but he could do that. Had to do that, or Eli would not make it.

“I think I can do the drawing, but you probably need someone else to do the focus work.” Teddy frowned. “I’m not exactly magical, remember.”

Billy shook his head, then pointed at Tommy. Tommy had been in a circle with Dr. Strange before, right? He’d mentioned it. Even if Billy was the witch here, there was enough magic in Tommy, in his origin, that this should work.

“Right. Okay, let’s do this.” Teddy looked over to Tommy. “Tommy? Get the book off our nightstand. We’re going to need you to do some magic.”

To his credit Tommy didn’t as much as blink before disappearing, only to return a moment later. “This what you need?”

“Exactly.” Teddy paused to set Billy sitting down on the floor so he didn’t need to stand. “Ah. I need some room around Eli.” As Falcon gave him an agonized gaze, hands over a bleeding wound, Teddy shook his head. “No, you don’t need to go, as long as there’s enough room around you both.”

Billy was feeling rather woozy, but sitting down helped that. He closed his eyes, listening to the scratch of Teddy’s claws on the floor. He opened his eyes again as he felt someone taking his hand, then another on his other hand. Tommy was seated to one side, Teddy to the other. Well, technically Teddy was seated opposite to him, arms literally stretched to encompass the entire circle around Eli and Falcon.

“Okay. So my role’s to do the talking, right?” At Teddy’s nod, Tommy started a very familiar chant. “I want to get to the Tower, I want to get to the Tower…”

Billy focused on the sound of the words, imagining the living area of the Avengers Tower in as much detail as he could manage with his fuzzy mind. He could feel the magic running through him and out, through Teddy and Tommy and back again, the two people closest to him in this entire world.

There was the familiar tingle of his magic at work, the silent hum the could very nearly hear but not quite. It was faint at first, working on bending the laws of nature to his will. Then there was a sudden rush as the connection was made, energy flowing through the circle and into the middle, and as he blinked his eyes open he could see a very familiar portal opening up in front of him.

The next moment everything went dark, but that didn’t matter. He’d done enough.


End file.
